An Abandoned Timeline
by mkmkmk
Summary: Ragequittale. The anomaly has tired of trying and failing to finish the Genocide Route. They close the game, leaving the abandoned story to finish itself. Lengthy rambling about the aftermath of what I think would happen if Sans "defeated" the anomaly. Undertale belongs Toby Fox as well as numerous other people. Summary may change come future addition of chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Fssssssssh...**

It's been three days…and that television was still on. Heh…I probably should turn it off, to spare what little power we monsters have since most of the Core's workers have been killed off. Guess I'm too lazy though…besides…

 _ **Fssssssssh...**_

 _Its static was the only sound in my life now._

Papyrus always hated it when I left the TV on like this, but, despite that, I couldn't seem to bring myself to turn it off. I could only stare blankly from my slumped position on the couch and watch the black and white fuzzy things conflict against each other as they bounced along the screen.

I chuckled dryly to myself, ignoring the pain that throbbed in my chest at the movement. Yeah, it's been three days. Three days since I killed _them_. Damn murdering bastard… Another pained laugh whistled through my teeth, as I reminisced the past seventy-two hours, my everlasting smile clunching as the grim events replayed through my head.

The final time I killed the kid was real stressing for me. I remembered how I stood before their body, their blood pooling around my feet, staining my white slippers red as I waited for hours on end in complete and utter paranoia before I was fianlly convinced that the anomaly was gone for good. I thought they were going to load back to the kid's last save point, like they had dozens of times before. But then again, maybe they took my advice and got the hell outta my life. Or rather, what was left of it. I sighed. Welp, now that they're gone, the few monsters who managed to evacuate were finally able to go back to their silent homes. Homes kinda like mine…

I yawned and stretched, my joints popping loudly. At least I learned something... Like how waiting for a psychopathic serial killer to reappear at the end of a dark hallway was really tensing, not to mention such a thing was mind-destroying in general. And, uh, that aside, I don't think I would've lasted another battle anyway, not with them wearing me down to the bone each time. Heh…get it?

So, after I bawled my eyesockets out with relief, sadness, and anger, I dragged myself away from the Judgement Hall and into the throne room where King Asgore asked me to take a series of reports on the remaining monsters of Home. As much as I wanted to deny him and go to my house to take a thousand year nap, he was still the king, and as the last remaining sentry, I had to follow his orders. So for the next six hours, I went around the underground and cataloged how many people died, who died, and how much help the survivors would need, which actually wasn't that much. It's sad to know that everyone left already knew how to deal with this kind of disaster, that they already knew how to work through calamity. I sighed.

So, the town at the top of our list was Snowdin, despite being the furthest from the castle and closest to the Ruins, there weren't many monsters living there in the first place, therefore, fewer casualties. Besides, Snowdin is a small town. If so much as one monster died, everyone in town would know soon enough. If only there were just one less death, then maybe my home wouldn't be so damn lifeless. Maybe _I_ wouldn't be so damn lifeless. Heh, no good wishing for the impossible, eh? Won't do me no good, nor anyone else for that matter.

Waterfall came second on my list, with about a quarter of its population gone, amongst them Undyne, the captain of the Royal Guard and a dear friend of Papyrus's. I would be saying that I feel bad about her death but…I don't think I got the capacity to feel that kinda stuff no more. Besides, Alphys is crying all the tears for Undyne already, it won't help to shed any more. Hm…that thought sounded a lot worse than how I'd first imagined it.

Anyway, Hotland came third, surprisingly enough. I was certain it would've gotten first place since Alphys had already evacuated pretty much everyone by then. Even so, the only survivors were Alphys and about a handful of Core workers lucky enough not to encounter the kid.

So once the main lands were all finished up, I went through Snowdin Forest to see an old friend of mine. It felt like an eternity before I finally reached it. The Door. I remember just standing there, knowing that even if I knock, no one would answer. Which therefore leaves the Ruins at the bottom of my list. And I did go in, mind you, to see if there actually were survivors, but as I'd expected, everyone was gone. The only evidence that hinted at the Ruins being inhabited at all were monster soul fragments scattered across piles of white dust throughout the entire area. I also found a little house deep inside, one that creepily looked like Asgore's, and decided to go ahead in. It wasn't long until I realized that it belonged to the late queen, or as I know her, the Woman Behind the Door. Well…that explains the shattered boss monster soul right in front of the door. My cell phone buzzed on the coffee table and I groaned as I sat up to look at it.

Another text from Alphys. _Greeeeeeaaaat…_

Hey, it's not that don't I like her, she's a cool monster, always has been. She just keeps giving me things to do, when all I want to do is lie on the couch and feel like the failure I am. Damn, could that last sentence get any more depressing? Also, my younger brother died, a.k.a. the only person in my screwed up family I actually cared about, and I wasn't there to protect him because I was trying to get everyone else evacuated, adding yet another reason as to why I hate making promises. Sorry Dad, you too, Lady Toriel, for breaking my promises.

So after a good fifteen minutes, or something, of staring sideways at my phone, I finally mustered the strength to pick up the damn thing to look at what Alphys sent me, and immediately regretted that action.

So she said: **Hey Sans? Could you do me a huge favor?**

I groaned. Here's some advice from your soon-to-be-deceased Dunkle Sans; whenever a gal asks you a question like the one above, just go ahead and disappear 'cause she just might dump a giant load of responsibility on your shoulders, and trust me, that stuff'll only stab you in the back.

And so I replied: **what is it?**

Not even a second passed before she answered, saying: **'Kay so I bumped into this kid on the street today and he looked lost so I asked where his parents were and he just burst into tears! OMG I'M FREAKING OUT O.o' I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO SANS HELP ME! D;**

So I said: **well calm the kid down and figure out why he started crying in the first place.**

And she replied literally two seconds later: **NOTHING IS WORKING! O.O'**

Before I had a chance to text back, she sent this: **I'm bringing him to your place. He just told me he used to live in Snowdin ^-^' and I just got a txt from Asgore, so I gotta go anyway. He'll brt thx. :)**

And then she had the nerve to also send: **Promise me you'll take of him! Kk thx! you're the best! d(^o^b)**

Thus leaving me staring dumbstruck at my phone. Seriously, what the hell was Alphys thinkin?! Dumping a kid on _me_ of all people? Didn't she understand that I already have enough emotional turmoil to deal with? A series of sullen knocks came at my door. I stifled a groan and slowly rolled off the couch. After laying on the floor for a couple minutes, I got up and dragged myself over to the door. _i swear to god alphys..._

When opened it, I was greeted with a sight that shocked me. Standing before me with downcast eyes was a young armless monster that looked in as much pain as I was. _well, that shouldn't be so shocking. kid probably doesn't have parents anymore. which means… i'm apparently taking their place._ I almost groaned again.

"Ms. Alphys told me to knock on your door. She said you were a friend of hers and that you would take care of me till I'm old enough to take care of myself," the little thing said in a quiet voice. I wasn't sure how I felt about taking this kid in, but he definitely looked like he needed somebody who's been through Hell and back, and I didn't exactly have a choice. So I gestured for him to come in, and the first thing he did was sit on the couch and slump into the cushions. Wow, déjà vu.

"ya want anything?" I asked. The kid glanced up at me and shook his head before returning his gaze back to the floor. I sighed and plopped myself next to him.

"so what's your sob story?" The kid gazed at me with a strange expression.

"What?"

"what's got you looking half dead?" The kid seemed a bit taken aback, before he quickly turned away, though not before I saw a sheen of tears come over his eyes. I felt a part of me soften, barely.

"Why should I tell you?" He muttered angrily. My gaze dropped to the floor, my supposedly always-there smile becoming more like a grimace.

"guess i'll go first then?" He glanced at me as my eyes dimmed. "i lost my brother, nearly all of my friends, and my self-respect to that human. how 'bout you kiddo?" The monster kid was silent. I wacted a few tense seconds, then stood.

"let's go to grillby's. i'm kinda hungry and you look like you-"

"My parents are dead and I can't find my little sister," he interrupted, "a-and Miss Undyne…she saved me…and now she's…she's…"

"gone. i know. lots of people are gone now bucko…" By now the kid's face was streaked with tears. Upon impulse, I reached over and wiped the wetness off his face with my sleeve. He flinched at first before stilling, his face pressing into my cloth covered bones. Realizing my actions, I quickly retracted my arm. _well, that wasn't weird in the slightest._ I cleared my throat.

"c'mon, let's…go…" I said crisply, shoving my hands into my coat pockets. The kid look stricken for a moment before he ducked his head and trudged past me. I swallowed down nonexistent bile from the guilt of my actions, then shook my head and followed, closing and locking the front door behind me. It didn't take very long for us to reach the bar, so I told the kid to grab us a booth while I bought our food. Grillby's daughter, Hestia, stood behind the counter, polishing a glass as she chatted with one of the regular attendees. She waved politely as I walked over.

"Hey Sans," she said. "Give me a second, I'll go get your ketchup-" I waved her off.

"nah, I'll take two orders of burg and large fries," I said, "ketchup's only a condiment this time round, but thanks anyway, hestie." She tilted her head questioningly.

"What changed?"

"alphys dumped an orphan on me, and i don't think the kid'll want just ketchup." Hestia only nodded in understanding before opening the fire exit and repeating the order to whomever was in there. Probably ol' Grillbster himself.

"Go ahead and sit with your kid, Sans. I'll bring you guys the food," she called back, leaving before I could even begin to deny her first sentence. Slowly, I walked back to the booth the kid picked out. His head lay sideways on the table, his eyes closed, eyebrows drawn together. Silently, I sat down, studying him. I would've thought he was sleeping if he wasn't frowning so much. I frowned too. _my kid? seriously?_ The kid shifted, twisting his neck to lay on the other side of his face. I refrained from sighing. Well, the kid was gonna be living with me from now on anyway, I might as well get used to being called his guardian, or even his father. I shuddered at the thought, but… I sighed out loud, making the kid twitch in surprise and look up to see me studying him.

"what's your name buddy?" I asked, resting my head on my hand. He looked uncomfortable for a second.

"Zach," he said quietly, "short for Zachary." I gave him a smile, reached over the table and gave his head a pat. He stared up at me, shocked.

"zach," I repeated, testing the name, "i like it." I had a feeling that the genuine smile he beamed back at me was first he's had in a while. At that moment, Hestia dropped by with our food, apologizing profusely for the wait.

"We got a little backed up right after you ordered," she explained sheepishly, setting down the burgers and fries. She pulled a mustard and ketchup bottle out of her waiters apron and placed them in the center of the table before rushing off to serve someone else. I looked back at Zach, who'd already dug into his food with a boyish enthusiasm. I held back a chuckle. Perhaps...this won't be as bad as I'd initially thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_Several weeks later..._

I was thankful that Ms. Alphys got Sans to take me in. I'm not sure if I could've ever gotten used to living with her in Hotland, I don't think she's had much experience with kids anyway. Besides, she's got a lot to deal with, not that Sans doesn't, but Sans's schedule seems to be much more flexible than hers.

Living with Sans was a strange experience to get used to. When I say strange, I don't mean like what he does is super new to me, I mean, lots of the people in Snowdin run their households similarly. It's just how easy it was to adapt to living with him. He seemed to know exactly what I needed, be it something like help on homework, a terrible joke whenever I was feeling down, or even helpful advice on certain situations.

Every morning, I woke up to find him fixing me up some breakfast, maybe packing my lunch for school, beginning our day to day routine. We'd take one of his "shortcuts" to school, then he'd bid me goodbye and I'd turn and walk into the schoolhouse. When I come back home, Sans would usually be off doing who knows what, probably working with Alphys or at Grillby's. About an hour later, he would walk in and ask if I had any homework I needed help on. Most of the time, I say no, so he goes and sits next to me and quietly reads the quantum physics book that leaned against the lamp stand next to the couch until he decides to get up make dinner. Unless he's not feeling up to it, then we just go to Grillby's.

That little routine we have kinda reminds me of back when my family was still around. Not in a bad way or anything, I mean, of course it make me miss them a lot, but it's comforting to have something familiar to hold onto, even if what's supposed to be there isn't there anymore. It make me grateful for Sans too. He didn't need to take me in, he didn't need to be so nice, he didn't need to even try to take care of me, but he did anyway.

I yawned. Currently, I was sitting on the couch reading one of the action comic books I found in a box in my closet, Sans was in the kitchen baking something that smelled like scrambled eggs. I licked my chops. Whatever he was making, it smelled _really good_. I continued reading until the oven went off like a siren, making me flinch and drop my book. I picked it up and set it on the coffee table before I ventured towards the kitchen. I saw Sans taking what looked like a golden-yellow pie from the warm red glow of the oven irons. The skeleton glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"hey," he greeted, straightening to put the pie onto the stove. I inched closer.

"What's that?" I asked, sniffing it again. _Wow, it smells even better up close._ Sans peered over at an old looking book for a second.

"it's a spinach and ham quiche," he replied, giving small chuckle when my face scrunched up in disgust. I hated spinach, and he knew it. I stuck out my tongue at him.

"Really, dude? Spinach is gross." Sans shook his head as he removed his oven mitts, setting them to the side.

"it's good for you," he said, taking out two plates from the cupboard, "it's very nutritious and full of good vitamins for young growing monsters, like you." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not eating that," I said, beginning to walk away. Sans gave a disbelieving "humph."

"guess you won't be having dessert then. the late queen gave me her butterscotch-cinnamon pie recipe a while back. i was gonna ask if you wanted to help me make it, but no monster gets a prize without earning it." My attention was first caught by thought of dessert before the rest of his words sunk in. I turned back to gape at him with large eyes.

"You knew the queen?!" No one had even seen the queen in _ages_. To know that _Sans_ knew her was a big shock to me. Apparently, he's a bit older than I first thought. The skeleton paused for moment, then nodded, his eyelights darkening. Well, that was new.

"yeah...she was my friend. never got to see her in person though. we just sorta talked through a door. kinda wish i'd gotten the chance to at least tell her my name before..." he murmured, his smile lessening as he trailed off. I felt a little sick inside.

"Did the human…?" I didn't want to finish the sentence, but I knew I didn't need to. Sans nodded.

"yep." A sad silence lapsed between the both of us. It sucked when the mood got like this, all depressing and filled with bad memories. It was the worst. I bit my lip and looked back up at my guardian. His white pupils had returned to stare emotionlessly at the quiche on the stove, his hands resting in his pockets, his body still. I hated it when he got like this. He almost looked dead. _Heck_ , he wasn't even _smiling_ , and that's just weird coming from him. Guess he must've really cared about her for him to go still like this. The last time this happened was when I asked about what happened to his brother, which was easily the biggest mistake of my life.

"D'you like her?" I blurted, making him flinch in surprise. I could feel my face beginning to redden. _Stupid!_ He gave me a weird look, the soft blue hue of magic coming about his cheeks. Another new thing. _Wait, is he blushing?_

"what?" I cleared my throat, gathering my courage and repeated the question. Sans looked uncomfortable for a moment, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. Dropping his arm, he narrowed his eye sockets at me. I gulped.

"what're you tryin' to get at kiddo?" He asked, his tone suspicious. I grinned as the glow that played along his face brightened and spread.

"I'm trying to get at the fact that _you liked her_ ," I said, sing-songing the last words. Sans stared at me for a moment before he sighed and shook his head, his expression saddening, the blush fading.

"maybe once, happy?" He asked, giving me a lopsided smile, "you are just amazing sometimes, y'know that?" Okay, back to feeling stupid again. Sans opened a drawer next to him and took out a bread knife. He tugged the quiche closer to him in quick jerky movements so as to not get burned from the still hot tray and cut it deftly, evenly, into eight pieces. He then took out a fork and carefully moved two pieces onto the plates he'd set out earlier before he closed the drawer and picked up the plates. I sighed, and followed the skeleton to the couch, climbing up to sit next to him.

I patiently watched him as he cut one of the slices into small, bite-sized pieces before he set the warm plate onto my lap. I stared hesitantly at the spinach-egg pie, steeling my will with the image of a steamy butterscotch-cinnamon pie before I leaned over and took a small bite. To my surprise, I didn't seem to be able to taste the spinach at all, as the dominating flavor was the egg, cheese, and the abundance of ham chunks. I smiled and devoured the rest of my plate quickly. Sans snorted, taking a napkin out of his pocket and wiping my dinner off my face. I smiled gratefully up at him.

"Thanks Sans."

"no prob, kiddo. now, wanna get started on that pie?"


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a year since he'd lost his family.

Today was the very day it'd happened, a year ago.

Zach stared at his reflection in the mirror, studying the dark clothes he'd donned for the ceremony, wondering idly if Sans would be able to see the tears that had fallen from his face. He sighed and trudged out of his room.

Sans was already downstairs, slipping on a semi-formal black jacket over his snowy white dress shirt. The skeleton turned when he heard the monster child's heavy footsteps on the stairs, giving him a sad smile when the kid looked up at him. Sans took a napkin out of his pocket and bent down slightly, beckoning Zach towards him. He shuffled closer, allowing Sans to cup his face as he wiped it dry.

"lookin' sharp kiddo," Sans complimented quietly as pocketed the dampened napkin, flipping up Zach's collar to slip a shiny, black strip of cloth around his neck. He fiddled with it for a moment before he tied it into a neat bow, only to spent another long moment touching it up.

"Thanks," the armless monster murmured in return as Sans straightened to fix his own bow tie. Silence pressed in on them, before Sans abruptly cleared his throat.

"ya ready to go, zach?" The monster kid nodded his head and commenced to following the skeleton out the door. Sans put a bony hand on the child's shoulder, squeezing it lightly as they phased away from their snowy home.

They reappeared near Dr. Alphys's lab, the sound of rushing water behind them. Zach turned his head, almost surprised to see the River Person absent from its usual post, but shook away the thought as Sans started forward. The door to Alphys's home slid open smoothly as they approached it. Stepping inside, they found the yellow lizard monster fussing in front of the monitor, the camera above it focusing on her face to act as a mirror. Zach looked around, noting how the room didn't stink of ramen, burned bubblegum, and grease, but instead of fresh paper, cleaning supplies, and lavender. Her desk was cleaner and more organized, a vase of the said flowers set next to a dust-free computer. _Things are really different from the last time I visited_ , Zach thought in approval, breathing in deeply. Sans cleared his throat and the scientist glanced over, smiling slightly as she picked up some dangly black earrings that clicked and clacked as she put them on.

"Hey."

"hey."

"Shall we?" She asked, nodding her head towards the door the others had entered from. Sans and Zach glanced at each other, before Sans made a small sound of agreement. Alphys grabbed a long black coat and slipped it on as they walked out the door, turning right and winding through a twisting hall to enter the L1 elevator. Sans glanced around as casually as he could, a bony hand resting protectively on the monster child's shoulder. Something didn't feel right. The elevator door slid slowly shut, but not before the skeletal monster caught a glimpse of a golden flower disappearing into the ground.

* * *

The auditorium was a few numbers short of reaching maximum capacity with the remaining monsters of the Underground, allowing all attending monsters to sit comfortably as well as remember just how many of their brethren were murdered exactly a year ago. Alphys had chosen to sit in the front between one of her amalgamates and Napstablook whilst Sans and Zach had seated themselves two rows back behind her. The auditorium was softly buzzing with chatter, a gentle sound that made Zach's head feel sluggish. The kid yawned and leaned against Sans, who'd responded by lifting the armrest that separated the two of them out of the way and putting his arm around the kid's shoulders, allowing him to snuggle further into his guardian's strangely warm body.

 _How_ do _skeletons stay warm?_ Zach almost wanted to voice the question, but he was afraid of hearing a punny answer.

The voices of the crowd then faded into a stiff sort of silence as the king walked onto the stage, stopping to stand at the podium, a sad expression on his usually more jovial face. Zach shifted a bit, moving so he could see the king more easily. The king cleared his throat, sniffed, sighed and began to speak.

"My fellow monsters, we are gathered here today to reminiscence the passing of our family and of our friends. Today is the first annual day of commemoration for the loved ones who aren't with us anymore as a result of a heinous crime. I would first like to say the names of all those who had 'fallen down'…"

Zach sighed as King Asgore began to list all the families that suffered loss, naming the deceased and wishing peace upon their graves. The names of his parents brushed against his ear and he winced, feeling prickling behind his eyes. Sans squeezed him slightly, allowing the monster child to turn and bury his face into the skeleton's comforting embrace.

* * *

Ghostly apparitions drifted around their mortal loved ones as they mourned their unfortunate deaths. Papyrus reached a gloved transparent hand towards the solid white of his elder brother's skull, halting his approach inches away from touching. He retracted his arm, feeling tears burn behind his empty sockets. What was the point when his hand would just go right through? A pressure squeezed his shoulder gently and the skeleton turned his head to meet the gaze of his cooking teacher. She gave him a pained smile before she cast her gaze towards his brother.

"I almost can't believe he did it. He killed the human, without even trying it seemed," she murmured, frowning fiercely for a moment before her face relaxed again. "He's so powerful, so gifted… Why didn't he…?" She cut herself off, knowing where the thought would lead to. Papyrus only sighed, his once confidently held up shoulders drooping.

"SANS HAD BEEN KEEPING SECRETS FROM ME EVER SINCE I COULD REMEMBER… I THINK IT WAS TO PROTECT ME, FROM WHAT, I AM NOT CERTAIN, BUT THERE ARE A FEW TIME WHERE I WISH I KNEW WHAT HE WAS HIDING," Papyrus said thoughtfully, his tone dampened somewhat with sadness. Despite the tragedy that had befallen the younger skeleton brother, his voice still held its heightened volume, one of the many things that never changed, of which Undyne was incredibly relieved about, even though it did hurt her eardrums every now and then. The fish captain continued to study Sans, watching as his kept his eyelights trained attentively on King Asgore, his gaze equally studious. Occasionally, the king's eyes would flick up and meet the skeleton's before traveling over his paper again.

Undyne watched the exchange with interest, before her eyes narrowed again at Sans. The skeleton blinked and turned his head, seeming to look straight at her. She flinched and drifted back, and his eyelights followed. He turned away, Undyne releasing a breath she realized she'd been holding. Her trembling hands clenched into fists. What _is_ he?

* * *

 **Howdy! This is...my first Undertale fanfiction...I think. Feel free to R &R and tell me what you think, point out my mistakes, maybe give some advice on how to further capture the personalities of the characters I use.**

 **Responses!**

 **NanciTheShurtugal: I'm glad you like it! I can't decide whether to hate or love all the depressing emotions circulated throughout the entirety of the Genocide Route. I reset the game when I first killed Toriel, and then again once I got the nerve to open my computer again. I can openly admit that I cried when I killed Papyrus, and cried again when I killed Sans. I felt goosebumps when I killed Undyne, probably because I was wondering what Alphys must be feeling since she just witnessed me killing one of her crushes.**


	4. Chapter 4

_One year earlier…_

Undyne stared at the human child with complete and utter hatred as they slaughtered yet another monster without a second thought, watching without expression as the monster crumbled to dust at their feet. With a swift kick, they scattered the magical remains, sending it spiraling into the sea of lava below them. Undyne growled and punched a nearby wall, falling somewhat when her hand passed through it like it wasn't even there.

 _"Damn it… Damn it! DAMN IT!"_ She screamed, ripping her hands through her hair, breathing heavily through gnashed teeth. She sped away towards Alphys's lab, feeling unable to see anymore of her brethren murdered so brutally. The deceased captain flew through the solid metal walls of the building to see the lab had darkened, the only light emanating from the monitor towards the entrance. Silhouetted against the glow of the screen were Alphys and Sans, the shorter form of Alphys shaking noticeably. Undyne drifted closer, fury cooling as concern took its place.

"Th-that w-was the l-last one…" Alphys stuttered, giving a muffled sob, "G-god… I'm such a failure…" Sans turned his head towards her, his eyesockets devoid of light.

"you did all you could, alph, so stop beating yourself up about it," he said lowly, turning the rest of his body towards the entrance, "what you need to do now is wait here and keep everyone else safe." Alphys's eyes widened. She stared at him in absolute horror.

"Sans, no-"

"i have to, alphys." She grabbed the front of his jacket, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"No! I won't let you!" The skeleton's eyesockets narrowed, Undyne's gaze narrowing as well as the scene enfolded before her.

"stop being so childish," he growled coldly. His bone hands took the scientist's wrists, forcibly loosening her grip from him. Alphys was sobbing helplessly in his grasp, her head bowed and teeth clenched as if she were in pain. She shook him away before she lunged forward to wrap her arms around him. Sans's eyelights flashed back on for a moment, his form motionless as he peered down at her quavering form. His arms wound tightly around the lizard's body, hugging her closer whilst she continued to cry into his shoulder.

"Please...don't go. I-I can't…lose you too…" Undyne felt bile rise up in her throat from the pain of seeing the girl she loved cry. She threw a half-hearted glare at Sans, wishing she was in his place.

"alphys," he began, his voice a soft, gravelly whisper, "if mettaton doesn't stop that thing, then who will?" His hands found her shoulders and he held her at arm's length.

"i'm not about to let a murderous bastard like that get away, because we both know that asgore has no chance against them. he might as well just hand his soul over and be done with it. besides, the only one who still has a chance this far into the game is me, and you know that." Alphys sniffed.

"Sans...just...promise me something?" Sans stiffened, his body becoming rigid.

"yeah?" Alphys's gaze hardened as she looked up at the skeleton monster.

"Don't hold back. Give them exactly what they deserve," she nearly growled, before her expression became soft as a sudden onslaught of tears gave a vulnerable sheen to her eyes, "and promise you'll come back to me. To everyone." Sans was silent for a moment, seeming to study the yellow lizard. Alphys's hand had found the flaps of his jacket again and were now firmly holding the material with shaking claws. His eyelights disappeared.

"i promise."

* * *

She was following them again, constantly throwing fowl curses at their back as Papyrus winced at her every word. Undyne glanced to the side to see the young skeleton's gaze cast towards the ground, an uncharacteristic frown pinching his nonexistent eyebrows together.

 _"What is it, Paps?"_ The skeleton sighed, crossing his arms.

 _"I'M JUST WORRIED. WHAT IF...WHAT IF ASGORE CAN'T BEAT THEM?"_ Undyne opened her mouth to insist otherwise, but Sans's words arose in her head, his chillingly hollow voice repeating the same phrase over and over.

 _ **"...asgore has no chance…"**_ The captain gazed towards the ground.

 _"I don't know…"_

* * *

They were all gathered now. The ghostly spirits of every monster that had died at the hands of the human child walking slowly down the Judgement Hall. Every single pair of dead eyes watched as the human suddenly halted. A gasp sounded out, and Undyne knew. Sans had appeared. The human child smiled, the murderous intent the wafted from the sick twist of their lips nearly making her gag. The former mortal lowered herself to the ground, her boots dipping somewhat through the stone floor. Sans stood towards the end of the hall, his trademark grin fitted back onto his face, his eyelights solid and bright.

"heya," Sans greeted casually. The human gripped their knife tighter, a frying pan clenched in the other hand. "you've been busy, huh?" The human shifted their feet, preparing for a fight.

Silence lapsed between the two. Undyne felt the other ghosts shift, Papyrus and, much to the captain's surprise, the late queen coming down to join her. The ex-monarch looked onto the small, mortal skeleton with watery eyes, her lips moving, but no sound escaping out. Undyne thought she seemed to mouthing _"I'm sorry."_

"so, i've got a question for ya," the skeleton began, closing his eyesockets, "do you think even the worst person can change…? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?" He laughed humorlessly. Undyne caught herself looking back and forth between the two forces, beginning to wonder who would claim victor to the upcoming battle.

"all right. well, here's a better question." His eyesockets opened, his eyesockets devoid of light, "do you wanna have a bad time? 'cause if you take another step forward...you are REALLY not going to like what happens next." Papyrus gulped.

 _"I'VE NEVER SEEN SANS LIKE THIS...IT'S…"_ The younger skeleton struggled for a moment to find the right word, _"...IT'S TERRIFYING."_

The human took a single, small step towards the skeleton before they repositioned themselves into a defensive stance again. Sans shook his head in what seemed to be pity.

"welp. sorry, old lady," he mused, "this is why i never make promises." The late queen covered her mouth, the ectoplasmic tears flowing over the bottom lids of her eyes only to fall through the floor. Sans gave a soft sigh as the battle began, the bullet box appearing around the red heart containing the human's soul, his eyesockets closing again.

"it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, kids like you…" He opened his eyesockets to stare at the human with a dead expression, his tone changing completely, "Should be burning in hell." His left hand left his pocket and with a snap of his finger bones, the human's soul turned blue. A strange blue aura surrounded the skeletons hand and he brought it down, somehow manipulating the soul to follow his movements. Massive, tightly packed bones shot out of the ground, draining half of the human soul's health in a matter of seconds. The deceased audience gasped as they watched Sans smash the soul into the wall, removing the gravity altering ability to return the soul's natural bright red color as a long stream of bones came flying at it.

The human barely managed to survive the attack, HP already below 20, not including the poison effect Sans's attacks seem to leave. The child was gasping in pain and terror as what looked like massive dragon skulls surrounded them. Their eyesockets flashed as from their gaping maws came a deadly white stream of agony. The human was barely nicked by the second wave of skulls, their life relying solely on the poison effect as their HP remained an unmoving 1. Suddenly, two enormous dragon skulls appeared from the side, their beams of light nearly taking up the entirety of the bullet board. The human found themselves frozen in place as the skulls' mouths opened and sent the child to Game Over screen.

Undyne felt like a fish out of water, figuratively speaking. Her mouth had practically dropped to the floor as Sans's attack unfolded, revealing the extent of his power before her. She turned to Papyrus.

 _"Did you know that he…?"_ Papyrus looked as surprised, as well as horrified, as she did. He shook his head negatively.

 _"I HAD NO IDEA…"_

* * *

 **All right... I know this was a relatively short wait time on the update, but don't get used to it 'cause who knows when I'll update next. One of the problems of being an exceedingly eccentric author. Not even I know what I'm going to do next. And I'm kinda feeling iffy about the fight scene. Am I capturing the actions and characters correctly? I'm mostly basing this part off how I first fought Sans. And how I was utterly destroyed... (I didn't die by the first move though, I died just before half-way.)**

 **Responses!**

 **Kaidas: I'm glad you enjoy my story! While this story takes place in a rather depressing setting, there _are_ parts where it's happy (well, happier) right? And that is an interesting idea, although I doubt Sans would have the ability to speak to the dead, but it's a fantastic thought nonetheless! In fact, I was having similar thoughts of how Sans could perhaps indirectly talk to Papyrus. But of course he would need some help doing that...**

 **Anyway, see you in the next chapter!**

 **Maybe...**

 **...**

 **Uh...**


	5. Chapter 5

What happened next had Undyne pinching herself to ensure she wasn't in some sort of dream. Sans and the human's corpse disappeared, the human reappearing at the end of the hall. The human looked shocked as they stared down the vacant hallway before their expression contorted into a look of sheer rage. They angrily stomped down the hallway, some members of the ghostly audience wincing at deafening sound of the child's dusty boots. Undyne rubbed her eye, trying to understand what had happened as Sans reappeared at the other end of the hall, just like before.

 _"What? But, the human died! This doesn't make any-"_

"heya," he greeted, his eyesockets narrowing for a moment, "you look frustrated about something." The human looked shocked once more before they shook their head and shifted once more into a fighting stance, a frown returning to their brow. He blinked and rolled his eyelights, his shoulder shaking slightly as if he were holding back laughter. He looked back at them, eyesockets again vacant, "guess i'm pretty good at my job, huh?" The fight began again with the same beginning dialogue as the last battle, the same attacks, the same gestures, but this time, the human managed to get past Sans's first attack without finding themselves at the Game Over screen. They were panting, blood leaking from their mouth and forehead to splatter onto the floor, their clothes ruffled and burned in spots, their gaze dancing wildly around the skeleton.

"huh," Sans mused thoughtfully as he took in the animalistic appearance of the human child, "always wondered why people never used their strongest attack first." With 1 HP left and a half bar of slowly decreasing poison, the human reached into their inventory and tugged out a sword-shaped sandwich, stuffing the whole thing into their mouth before preparing for Sans's next attack as their HP jumped to 45. Sans said nothing, only giving a lazy wave of his hand, snapping his finger bones to activate his gravity altering ability. Immediately, a long string of short bones streamed from the bottom of the bullet box, longer bones mimicking the movements of their shorter counterparts as they trailed along the top, forcing the human to repeatedly make small jumps to get through unscathed. Fortunately for Sans, the human lost another 20 HP and was breathing heavily, their murderous glare never leaving the nonchalant figure of their powerful opponent.

Undyne watched in satisfaction as their hand hovered over the "Item" button, before the glee turned to horror as the human shook their head and smashed their hand onto the "Fight" button. They dashed, swinging numerous times at Sans with their frying pan, only to find that Sans had effortlessly dodged every attack. He laughed, shrugging as he winked.

"what?" he taunted, "you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?" The human gaped for a moment before shifting their stance to avoid the next wave of bones. A small bone came speeding towards the human's soul, a massive blue bone trailing behind. The soul hopped over the first bone with ease before the bigger blue bone smashed into it, knocking off 10 HP in the half second it touched. The process repeated until the ghost crowd was again rewarded with the sound of a breaking soul.

Undyne hear a collective sigh of relief above her, making her clench her fists as a sick feeling twisted in her dead stomach. _Just wait for it..._

 _Reset._

The human was again standing at the end of the hall, their skin beginning to look paler, a natural sort of blush appearing on their chubby cheeks. They panted tiredly for a moment before straightening, their eyes looking more red than brown. They strode forward, the frying pan clatter to the floor as they switched the knife from their left hand to their right as they narrowed their gaze, their mouth set and jaw locked.

Sans appeared again.

They died again.

 _Reset._

And again.

 _ **Reset.**_

* * *

Undyne couldn't seem to keep track of how many times the human died, but Papyrus kept a faithful count when she couldn't seem to remember.

 _"39...40…"_ It was times like these when she was grateful for the young skeleton's presence. He had proved himself to be resourceful and undeniably kind since she'd first met him. She sighed.

 _"41...42…"_ Sans's expression seemed to get colder with every passing number, until every glance Undyne made at him sent a chill down her back. The captain looked back and forth between the two brothers, from Sans's chilling grin, lifeless eyesockets filled with bloodcurdling hatred as from his unmoving grin came will-shattering words dripping with disgust and cold, dark humor, to Papyrus's hope filled gaze, the determined set of his jaw, and his overall innocent demeanor. She understood now why Sans was so reluctant to let Papyrus join the Royal Guard.

 _"43...44...45…"_

He didn't want Papyrus to become like him.

Undyne shuddered at the realization, remembering every empty glance Sans tossed at her, every threatening grin he threw, every piercing stare at her whenever she decided to walk with Papyrus to his "special training." Before, she tried to not give it much thought, thinking that Sans was just kidding around, that he was completely harmless. Now, she couldn't help but think of him being a walking gateway to hell.

 _"46...47...48...49…"_

 _Chack!_ The human fell to their knees, a bone lodged through their diafram, the blood drenched end sticking out of their back, blood staining their clothes red. They swayed and collapsed on their side, coughing weakly. Sans stuck his right hand in his pocket as he strode over to the crimson stained mass of flesh and bone. Their cherry red soul rose from their body to dance enticingly in front of Sans's eyesockets. He reached over to grab it, until it cracked and shattered yet again, tinkling as the shards hit the ground. Undyne closed her eyes, waiting.

 _"50."_

Sans sighed and leaned against a nearby column, raising an arm to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. He looked at the damp spot on his sleeve, idly wondering how a skeletal monster like him could even produce sweat in the first place. He decided to drop the notion and blame magic before he lost his mind the unending depths of the inexplicable occurrences that seemed to enjoy happening frequently in his shithole of a life. He continued to wait.

* * *

… _the hell?_

The skeleton gazed at the human's corpse, eyesockets narrowing. It's been nearly half an hour. _Wouldn't the kid have reset by now?_

He pushed himself off the the column, walking towards the unmoving body cautiously. Never can be too safe now can ya? He knelt before the bloodied form of the human child, the crimson liquid that pooled around them staining the white fabric of his slippers red. Tutting distastefully, he made a mental note to buy new slippers as he lightly nudged the body. They coughed and he flinched back as they began to breathe shakily. Their squinted eyes slid open a crack, just enough so that a sliver of their brown irises shone in the sunlight that poured through the stained glass windows lining the hallway. Before Sans could back away, the human opened their mouth to speak.

"Thank you…" came their whispered voice, cracking from pain, "for stopping me..." Sans tried to keep himself from openly gaping at them. Wasn't their soul destroyed? How are they still alive? They coughed out a glob of blood before they continued to talk. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop this from happening again...I told myself I wouldn't let it control me." A crooked smile came over their mouth as tears began to roll down their cheeks. Sans frowned, his mind beginning to work a hundred miles per hour on the new information revealed to him.

"what do you mean 'control me'? are you saying that you aren't the one who murdered my friends?" The human lost their smile, but their lips still held the crooked quality as they began sniffle and sob.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so damn sorry, I'm sor-" They burst into a harsh coughing fit, droplets of red spraying from their mouth and onto the ground. Sans didn't know what came over him then, as he felt an almost natural rush of protectiveness tug him to the child. _What was this kid to me in the past timelines?_ he wondered as he cradled their head in his hands. "I'm sorry Mom…I'm sorry Papy…I'm…" They coughed again, their voice heightening in pitch and strain with every word they spoke, "sorry Alphys…sorry Asgore…sorry Undyne…sorry Asriel," Their soft brown eyes slid over to meet the dead blackness of his eyesockets, "but I'm sorry most of all to you, Sans. I broke our promise. I'd told you I wouldn't reset again, and you'd looked so happy when I said that, and your smile looked so real. But then I reset…and I erased everything..."

Sans's head was reeling. He was just beginning to comprehend what they'd said before about being controlled, and now they were bombarding his head with sob-story material. Anger flared up before the self-pitying tears could take hold.

"who...who keeps doing this to you?" He demanded, quickly running a sleeve over his face, just in case. The child coughed weakly as they slowly raised an arm to point upwards.

"Her." Sans looked up and saw nothing.

"what?" A faint glimmer of gray rippled a little in the spot where the human was pointing. A girl. Sans did a double-take. A ghostly gray apparition of a human girl floated just beyond them, her expression seeming annoyed as she gazed at a black rectangle in her hand.

"She's not the only one. Sometimes, a different girl appears next to her, and those times, I almost always go further during our fight. The last time she was in control, I almost reached your 'special attack.'" Sans looked down at them, surprised. Their face had become blank, the tears still dripping from the corners of their eyes. They shifted over to stare him, another crooked smile curling over their lips.

"I don't think I'll be able to hold on much longer, Sans. It's already a miracle that I've been able to keep talking this long already," they murmured, their voice straining to stay level, "thank you again for stopping me, Sans. If you hadn't been able to…I don't think either of us would've liked what would've happened next." He felt their weak pulse slow in its throbbing at those words, watching numbly as they closed their eyes, their face going slack, and their ragged breathing coming to a halt.

 _Bup, bup. Bup, bup._

 _Bup, bup._

…

Sans slipped his other hand beneath the child's legs, lifting them up as he stood before he phased out of the room. He reappeared in a gray hallway, standing before the crypt containing the other humans. He placed the human in his arms into the only open coffin before sliding the heavy wooden lid over them to shield the bloodied child from the eyes of the living world.

He turned, pausing for a moment, then he left.

The skeleton reentered the Judgement Hall, his feet sloshing as he stepped through the pool of red without care. He continued to trudge down the corridor, feeling empty, his mind blank. His foot caught on an offset tile, staggering somewhat at the unexpected blow. Exhaustion began to creep over him, even though he was nothing close to tired. Sans leaned his shoulder against a nearby column of stone, turning to his back as he slid down to the floor.

There was a strange stinging behind his eyesockets, something warm and wet rolling down his cheeks bones. His throat felt constricted, his head heavy, his non-existent stomach twisting up. His hands balled into bony fists as a broken sob escaped his clenched teeth. Sans brought his knees up to his sternum, bowing his head into them as the tears began to fall. He hugged his legs closer to his body, trying to hide his sudden show of weakness. From who, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was crying and he _just couldn't seem to fucking stop._

Birds warbled their carefree tunes, the light flooding the hallway was warm and welcoming, the air pleasant despite the metallic scent that wafted through it, the blood was coloring the stone floor red, the tears seemed to burn as they soaked into the stains of a deadly fight, it was a beautiful day outside.

Sans sniffed, raising his head slightly, drying the salty droplets that clung to his cheekbones with his sleeve, sighing shakily as he stretched out his legs. He leaned against the column, working to control his breathing, occasionally wiping away the few tears the slipped out of his eyesockets every now and again. He got up, took a deep breath before walking to the throne room to notify the king of the human's death.

* * *

 **Man...I'm on a roll aren't I?**

 ***checks to see if I'm sitting on a roll***

 **Huh... *eats roll***

 **Respones!**

 **KaidaShi: Okay, first of all I would like to apologize for spelling your name wrong. Next I would like to notify that, while I love your idea, I will not use the entirety of it for the upcoming chapters, because as awesomely over-powered Sans is, it's a bit ridiculous for him to have even _more_ power like seeing the dead and seeing all their souls and crap like that. Besides, a monster soul does _not_ stay around upon death, but the game never said anything about their spirits, which is why you see the ghosts of monsters long gone in this story. And the thing about the machine? Well, now my fingers are itching to write about it, despite my unease about the damned thing, because seriously, what if it's a really microwave? But the thing is, Sans has always kept secrets from people, and I wouldn't be surprised that he would continue to keep many things from Alphys, despite knowing her for a debatably long time and her being one the last remaining "close" friends Sans has. (Have you considered writing your own fic about the mysteries of the broken machine by chance? I would love to read it should you ever write one!)**

 **anonymouse: Ha, very clever name. I laughed actually. Thank you for reviewing! And I'm glad you like how this story is progressing!**

 **TomXDlove: Thank you! I'm so happy you like it!**

 **Guest: I SHALL HAVE THE AUTHOR CONTINUE, UNKNOW REVIEWER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!**


	6. Chapter 6

**What should I called this AU?**

 **UnderLost?**

 **No...**

 **AbandonedTale?**

 **Hm...**

 **Forgottentale?**

 **:P Meh...**

* * *

 _Present…_

He watched them with narrowed eyes as they left the auditorium, hating how the sight of them walking together struck the chords of happy memories long gone. The armless monster boy looked content wedged between Smiley Trashbag and Scaly Wastebin, despite the sad air that filled the entirety of the Underground. Flowey would've felt jealous if he could feel emotions.

"Sans? Can we go get some Nicecream?" The monster child asked, his voice hopeful. Smiley Trashbag chuckled.

"i dunno, can we?" Scaly Wastebin scoffed.

"My god, Sans. Don't be a bonehead," she said, rolling her eyes at the skeleton before turning to smile at the monster kid, "I'll buy us all some, Zach. Dumb Dumb here obviously forgot his wallet." The skeleton tsked as he reached into his back pocket to whip out a brown leather square as his grin curved into a smug smirk.

"not quite true, doc. who's the dumb dumb now?" The lizard's smile turned incredibly sweet.

"Still you. One point for _moi_ , 'cause now, _you're_ paying!" The monster kid, or "Zach", or whatever, snorted in laughter. The skeleton's smirk melted away into more of a grimace.

"well...that wasn't very nice of you." Scaly Wastebin made a face at him in response and Zach… Flowey didn't like the name. Deciding to think for a moment, he dove into the ground, only to pop out in the next hallway, out of sight and out of mind. From his perch above the group, the plant studied the monster child more closely. _How about...Armless Freak?_ Flowey smiled cruelly. Perfect.

Anyway, Armless Freak had started laughing when Scaly Wastebin made the stupid face and now the three of them were buying Nicecream. Yay. Flowey huffed, becoming bored of watching them. They began to walk again, quietly strolling through the halls of the castle until they reached the elevator. Flowey dove beneath the ground again, surfacing beside the elevator door on L1, opting to lean into the shadowed area nearby to ensure that none of the three would see him. The elevator doors slid open, and they walked out. They wound through the twisting hallway, like they had done before the ceremony.

"See you two around," Scaly Wastebin said, waving her claw. Armless Freak trotted forward and rubbed his face into her stomach. It took Flowey a while to realize that what the monster boy was trying to do was give the scientist a hug, but ultimately failing miserably because of his lack of arms. The lizard understood though, as she leaned down and wrapped her arms around the monster child. Smiley Trashbag had wandered closer, his smile becoming softer as Scaly Wastebin released Armless Freak and stood back up. The skeleton then stepped forward pulled her into another embrace, giving Flowey the sudden urge to throw up when a streak of red painted itself across the scientist's face.

Armless Freak was trying hard not the snicker as Scaly Wastebin hid her embarrassment in the skeleton's shoulder, her stubby yellow arms shaking slightly as they encircled his guardian's body. They stayed there for a little while, until she began let go. Smiley Trashbag gave a soft chuckle at her reddened face before he and the monster kid bid her _adieu_. With that, the duo made their way down to the river where the River Person stood patiently on its cat-faced boat. The boat keeper was strangely quiet as Armless Freak and Smiley Trashbag seated themselves, the boat itself rising from the water to skip across the surface. Flowey dove under once more, emerging again in the winter wonderland in which the monsters he was stalking lived peacefully. The other two arrived in Snowdin in a matter of minutes, the cat boat slowing its jog to a mere walk before it stopped completely and sank back into the water. Flowey huffed and continued to follow them through deep, chilling snow.

* * *

"hey zach?" Zach glanced up at his gaurdian.

"Yeah, Sans?" The skeleton's face wore an easy grin, one he always used when he was up to something peculiar. Zach raised a brow as he waited for an answer.

"you don't mind going ahead, do ya? i just wanna take a quick stop by grillbz's place," he said, his voice smooth and even like always. Zach's suspicion ebbed away at the request, belief in Sans's words coming instantly. _He's probably just going to get a few drinks with his friends. Nothing out of sorts there_ , the young monster thought to himself, giving Sans a toothy smile as he nodded. His guardian winked back, rubbing Zach's head affectionately. "thanks bucko, i won't be too long."

"You're still gonna read me a bedtime story, right?" The child asked, looking through the gaps of Sans's bony hand hopefully. At the skeleton's nod, Zach ran off, eager to greet the warmth of their home. Sans chuckled quietly, following the tiny footprints of the armless monster until he stood before the two-story house of which they lived. He turned left, heading towards Grillby's, his left hand clenching in his pocket as he subtly urged his magic to sharpen his senses. Sounds became louder, scents grew stronger, minuscule details clearing as the world surrounding him was stripped of its blurry veil. He blinked his eyesockets, trying to focus through the chaos that had erupted around him, his head feeling much heavier than usual.

Sans slowed his pace a fraction, seeing the library draw closer. Through the idle chatter of the few monsters on the street, past the crunching of the snow beneath his feet, he listened carefully for an abnormality. Easy now...

...

There it was. A quick scratching, like something small digging beneath the ground. Or rather, some _one_.

Sans made a sharp turn right, heading towards the residential area, the footprints he and Zach made mere seconds ago still fresh. Shifting his eyelights to scan his surroundings, he inwardly smirked. As he expected, it was deserted, save for the wolf man tossing ice cubes down the river. He studied him for a moment, but the furry monster was too focused on his job to notice the skeleton. Shrugging it off, he continued his trek. The scratching continued for a little while, still adamant on following him until he stopped just before the next area. The noise stopped too, and he phased away with a snap of his fingerbones.

* * *

Flowey popped out of the ground, gaping for a moment at the spot where Sans- ahem, Smiley Trashbag once stood. The plant growled at his misfortune. The skeleton bastard could be anywhere in the Underground now. He sighed irritably. What was he thinking? Following a creep like that brotherless bonehead? He had to be more careful than that, especially since the reset power died along with Chara, or whatever that human's true name was. Growling again, Flowey shook his pollen dusted head. It didn't matter anyway. Sans would just be back in plain sight tomorrow, and the day after that, and for the rest of his life, probably. He humphed. He hoped not.

 _Crunch_. He froze for a half-second before diving into the ground. Well, at least he _tried_ to. Someone had grabbed him from behind, yanking him from the icy ground, his magical abilities draining as his roots were torn from his geothermal power source. Flowey tried to shout, only to have his breath sucked away as both his captor and himself passed through a wave of blue and black before they found themselves in a small white room. Chills crawling up his stem, the flower turned his head sideways to catch a glimpse of the freak who had caught him. As soon as his eyes met a taunting frigid grin, he screamed.

"LET ME GO!" Flowey screeched, pushing his leaves down on the rock-like bones of the skeleton's hand. Sans's eyesockets went dark as he yanked open a nearby cabinet door, kneeling down to sift through its contents with his unoccupied hand as the plant continued to struggle against his unyielding grasp. "RELEASE ME FOUL DEMON!"

"you talkin' to yourself over there, flower boy?"

"HOW DARE YOU! I AM THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD AND I COMMAND YOU TO-"

"all right, you can shut up now." Sans's bumped against a large glass container, nearly toppling it onto the fragile vials and graduated cylinders beneath it. Eyeing the container thoughtfully, Sans glanced back at the flower which had begun to bite him in a desperate attempt to get away. It kind of tickled, the feeling of the living object's teeth, which was, to no surprise at all, also made of squishable plant material. The skeleton's fingerbones closed around the thick glass cylinder and he lifted it out of the cabinet, closing the door to it with his foot as he set the container on the polished granite top. Taking the cylinder's lid off, Sans shoved the shrieking flower into the container, closing it swiftly before it could have a chance to escape.

The skeleton sighed through his teeth, sliding a hand across his cranium tiredly as the buttercup continued to yell and hiss through its thick glass prison. Sans turned to stare at the plant, resting himself against the wall as he considered the tiny life form. Flowey had stopped yelling, instead opting to glare back at the other monster.

"so, you're the 'prince of this world', huh?" The flower flinched at the question, "your name must not be 'flowey' then. am i right, asriel?"

"Shut up," came his muffled voice, his flowery head bowed away from the skeleton.

"last time i checked; you died. so how the hell did you end up like-"

"I said, 'SHUT UP!'"

"-this…?" Sans gazed pityingly at the soulless prince, taking in the flower's disheveled appearance. Most of it was his doing, the wrinkled petals, the bruised stem, even the tracks of tears going down the poor thing's face. The skeleton shook his head and phased away for a long moment, only to come back with a flower pot filled with dirt and a watering can. Flowey's eyes widened at the sight.

"Don't you even think that I'm going to let you put me in that pot!" Sans smirked, setting the pot down on the tabletop.

"well, unless you _want_ to suffer from dehydration in that jar, you would let me plant you, but, if you're gonna be difficult, i could always ' _leaf_ ' and let you die…" He trailed off, watching in satisfaction as the flower blanched and gulped. Finally, the plant relented.

"Fine. Put me in the stupid pot, then leave me alone," he hissed. Sans shrugged and commenced to planting the flower into the rich soil mixture he took from Waterfall and Hotland. He picked the pot up and opened up one of the empty cabinets. "What's this for?" Flowey asked, suspicion lacing his tone as Sans set him inside. The prince sneezed. It was dusty in there. The skeleton returned the flower's frown with a frigid grin of his own, his eyesockets devoid of light.

" _So you don't get any ideas._ " Then everything was dark. _Click_. There was a whopping total of five seconds of silence before Flowey started screaming.

* * *

 **WARNING: MASSIVE BOUT OF RAMBLING BELOW**

 **Hm...**

 **Do you guys think that I should label the chapters? Like, I feel that this story has several "arcs" in it, like different parts of the same story in one massive timeline and all the missing spots from the day the human died, to the days after the first annual ceremonial gathering, and afterward are just filling the time gap in with each passing chapter. Should I put down what the arcs are and their corresponding parts, or should I just leave it as it is?**

 **Also, I'm a massive dork for romance and the direction I want to take the arc after Flowey's arc is...well, mainly centered around Alphys... But then again, I'm not really sure about writing something about her. Not because I don't like her, she's a cool monster, but I just want to make this story seem like it could actually happen in the real game. Sans could be more than what he appeares without the mental strains of an unending time loop ripping away any progress he might've done in past timelines, Alphys could overcome the depression from the mistakes of her past and become a stronger and better person even though she still mostly maintains her somewhat socially awkward demeanor, and Zach could grow up to be a strong young monster, despite the calamity he'd lived through and the disability he had been inflicted with since birth.**

 **Agh! Back to what I was trying to talk about! Um... Could Alphys and Sans be a thing? I mean, I feel like it could be, considering Alphys's abundance of crushes in the game (she only had two real ones and a theory that was appealing, but still, she seems like a person who would consider a lot of different people) it would be understandable if she were to gain feelings for our charming skelebro. But would Sans return the feeling?**

 **...probably not, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind having a loving companion by his side, one with enough wit to entertain his own, someone Zach wouldn't mind being around, a monster who cared deeply about him and made him feel like he wasn't by himself in the cold, cruel world they live in, woven together by the evil mastermind that is yours truly.**

 **...**

 **I'm getting so carried away right now.**

 **Responses!**

 **Guest: Thank you! And I will continue!**

 **Lovesbugsalot: I'm glad you think so! Your name reminds me of a funky looking bug that flew onto my towel when I was swimming a couple days ago... *continues blabbering* ...it kinda looked like a stink bug, but it had white dots all over it and it was really creepy... *blah, blah, blah***

 **Faysor: Thanks for reviewing! The six human souls are never used during the Genocide Route, as you kill Asgore before he accesses them and you kill Flowey as he stops you from ever being able to leave the Underground. Sans doesn't use the human's souls, he may be weak strength-wise, but he is pretty damn powerful, as well as smart and experienced(?). This fic takes place in an unfinished Genocide Route where the player abandoned the game upon dying for the fiftieth time and leaves the story to finish itself. So Chara never truly appears, although they do begin influencing the player once all the monsters were eradicated from the Ruins, like they do in the real game when red text first appears in Snowdin. And thank you! I very much appreciate your kind words.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ragequittale...**

 **The second I laid my eyes upon that name, I died laughing. The name gives you the feeling that the story's going to be funny! But then it isn't... Well, a few of the chapters aren't, but still, there are some moderately happy parts. Right?**

 **Smaller Kingdom AU... Now that's just sad. I felt my chest constrict at that. But I think Ragequittale takes the cake, so huge thanks to _The Herobrine Hunter and DDoJ_ for coming up with these awesome names! And you don't mind if I steal that first name do you? I'll make sure to disclaim it should I write anymore stories with that AU. It would be great if you left a review, or PM me your answer. It doesn't matter which, I check both regularly.**

 **Anyway, I made this chapter a bit longer because the other one was somewhat short. See you at the bottom of the page!**

* * *

 _"Sans...Sans, wake up…"_ He groaned, his eyesockets sliding open halfway. Zach nudged his side again, eliciting a sigh from the older monster while he sat up and stretched. Sans gazed tiredly at his adopted child, noting the hint of baggage beneath the kid's eyes as the skeleton picked him up and set him on the bed.

"what is it, zach? nightmare?" There was an unmistakable twinge of worry in Sans's voice, something he had developed within the first few days Zach had stayed with him. It must have been a tone that every adult with a kid on their hands had in their arsenal, because he distinctly remembered both of his parent frequently using it on him. The armless child bowed his head, brow furrowed in thought.

"I just can't stay asleep. I…I think I'm hearing things," he said, his voice beginning to tremble as looked up into the bright lights in the skeleton's eyesockets, "Dad, I keep hearing screaming…" Sans's gaze softened at that. He wrapped his arms around Zach, pulling him closer. The young monster sniffed and hid his fear in the loving embrace of his guardian.

"hey, hey," Sans murmured softly, nuzzling the child's head gently, "it's gonna be alright, i'm here, and i'm never gonna let anyone hurt you. there, there, you don't need to cry anymore." He raised a bony hand to gently wipe away the tears that had begun to dribbled down Zach's yellow cheeks. Silence lapsed between the two monsters as Zach relaxed against the skeleton's rib cage, the bones warm against the armless kid's face. Again, he wondered how skeletons retained heat so well, despite being creatures that lacked the necessary physical components to do such. He sighed.

"Dad, am I going crazy?" He asked in a vulnerable whisper, closing his eyes as he curled his body and yawned.

"no, of course not. i'm sure it was just a bad dream," he replied quickly, rubbing the child's back comfortingly. Zach grunted disbelievingly but said nothing, and Sans sighed. "how 'bout you stay with me the rest of the night?" The young monster nodded and crawled further into the bed to snuggle into Sans's pillow. The skeleton laid back down, dimmed eyelights staring up at the ceiling while he listened to Zach's breathing as it began to slow, sleep taking over the both of them.

* * *

"y'know, zach couldn't sleep last night 'cause of you."

"Good."

"i slept just fine. like i was lying in the most comfortable bed of _roses_."

"I am not a rose."

" _Lily_ -mind then."

"I'm not a lily either, numbskull."

" _Lighten_ up, _buttercup_ ," Sans said, grinning at the sulking flower, "a night in the dark wasn't that bad." Flowey scoffed as Sans shuffled over to water his soil. "so, _water_ you gonna do today?"

"Die."

"wow, i wonder how asgore would respond to his _son_ flower committing suicide." He set the watering can aside and knelt to fuss with the items in a nearby cabinet.

"I'm not a sunflower," the plant growled, "and your king thinks I'm dead, just like the rest of the Underground." Flowey turned to frown at Sans, watching as he poured a bagful of white powder into a graduated cylinder. "What are you doing?" The skeleton glanced at him for a second before returning his attention back to the solution.

"science experiment," he muttered as he picked up a small tray of what looked like broken shards of white glass and dropped it into the clouded water. Flowey watched with a piqued interest as Sans slid over a small clear bag filled with white fur. Taking a pinch of the fur, Sans also dropped it into the water and poked at it until it sank to join the shards at the base of the container. "now here's the fun part…"

With a snap of his fingerbones, a blue light burst around the cylinder, compressing around the liquid to form it into the shape of an upside-down heart. The newly formed soul shone enticingly as Sans moved it into an empty soul chamber, sealing it with another snap. The skeleton picked up the container, staring at the soul with narrowed eyesockets.

"i'm actually restricted from bringing people back to life, but considering how you're not actually dead, i believe i'm permitted to make an exception," Sans said, his tone serious. He glanced over to the gaping flower, "consider yourself lucky, asriel. it's not every day a monster gets a second chance at life." Flowey could not believe what he was hearing.

"B-but...why? Why are you helping me? Why, when all I've ever been to you was cruel?" Sans closed his eyesockets for a moment.

"kid...there are things that people, and not just monsters, do for others, even if they don't deserve it," the skeleton said softly, his left eyesocket sliding halfway open to peer at the flower, "i hope that, due time, you'll come to understand this, but for now, how 'bout we just get ya back to normal, eh?"

With that, Flowey's shocked expression melted away to match the genuine smile beamed back at him.

* * *

 _Three hours later…_

Zach raised an eyebrow at the goat boy standing awkwardly near the doorway. The armless monster quickly trotted down the stairs to halt in front of the other monster child, smiling kindly when the kid gulped.

"U-um...h-hi! I'm Asriel Dreemurr!" The boy said with a nervous smile, sticking out an arm to shake. Zach peered at the paw stretched towards him, holding back laughter.

"Nice to meet you! The name's Zachery Gaster, but my last name was Ridgepool before Sans legally adopted me," he chirped before adding, "Y'know I'm not gonna be able to shake that, right?" Asriel blanched at those words, looking down at his hand then back up at Zach with large eyes. Embarrassed, the goat boy quickly retracted his paw, muttering a quiet apology. Zach laughed, "It's okay man. Even Sans forgets sometimes."

"S-so...is Sans like...your dad now?" Asriel asked, scratching the back of his head. Zach nodded. "He's scary."

"A little," Zach agreed with a shrug of his shoulders, "but he's still a cool dude if you catch him on his good side." Asriel laughed awkwardly.

"Is that hard to do?" Snorting a bit, Zach shook his head negatively.

"Nah, man. Sans is usually pretty cheery 24/7 and if he isn't, then he's either focused on something, being serious, or majorly pissed. That last one almost never happens, but the last time it did...well, let's just say the aftermath was a big mess." The goat boy looked like he was about to faint as he hid his trembling paws behind his back. Zach looked at him sheepishly, a small twinge of guilt poking at the back of his mind. "It's okay dude, he's actually super nice." Asriel bowed his head.

"I know...he's the one who brought me back…" He said quietly. Zach smiled, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, he told me about that a couple minutes ago actually, before he left to scare the daylights outta Ms. Alphys." Asriel laughed a little at that, causing Zach to grin, "Hey! Wanna check out my comic book collection?" The goat boy's floppy ears raised slightly, blue eyes sparkling with sudden enthusiasm.

"Sure!"

* * *

"Here are my notes on the testing of liquid determination," Alphys said as she handed Sans a thick stack of disheveled papers. He took them without a word, quickly skimming through the contents until found what he was looking for. He deftly removed the folder of documents from the rest of the bunch, dropping the other papers onto the tabletop. The skeleton frowned as he thoroughly studied the contents of the folder, committing every little detail from the findings to memory.

"where were you when you injected the lost flower with determination?" He asked, raising his head to gaze at the other scientist. She bit her lip, brow crinkled in thought.

"I was in towards the center of the throne room, just in front of Asgore's chair. There was a flower that was a lot bigger than the others, so I decided to inject it with determination. I'd injected the flowers from the lab with determination before, but I felt that the flower in the throne room was...different. I wanted to see if my theory was correct."

"theory?" Sans prompted slightly, curiosity piqued. Alphys nodded.

"The late prince Asriel died in that throne room, Sans. I guess I thought...that what if...what if that flower grew above the others because it was the first flower? It's bigger than the rest because it took the energy and nutrients from Asriel's dust before any others could take root? So if that flower held a part of Asriel, would the determination be able to bring him back to life?" She wrung her claws, her head bowed as she frowned at the ground. She lifted her eyes to see Sans gazing calmly at her as he set the folder of documents behind him, the lights of his eyesockets a soft white.

"when you gave it determination, how many hours did you wait until you checked it again?" Alphys gulped, reaching up a claw to rub the back of her head.

"It was late at night when I injected it, so I woke up late the next morning and when I went to the throne room, it was just...gone," Alphys said with a soft sigh, "Sans, why are you asking me about this? What could possibly-"

"come with me." The bespectacled lizard raised a brow as the skeleton before her stuck out his hand, her face beginning to warm at the intense look he gave her.

Taking it, she asked slowly, "Why…?" At her touch, his warm fingerbones curling gently around her fleshy claw and she felt her throat go dry. A reassuring grin eased itself onto his face, his eyesockets crinkling up with silent amusement. He tugged her towards the door, his left eyelight flashing cyan as a blue glow came over his left hand. The hand she held. She paled and quickly held her breath mere seconds before they phased away.

* * *

Zach slowly slid a block from the teetering tower of wooden bricks, freezing for a moment when the stack wobbled dangerously. Asriel pulled at his ears, muttering incoherently. Anxious seconds ticked by until the bricks ceased their movement, allowing Zach to remove his block with ease. Smiling triumphantly with the block between his teeth, the armless monster child turned to gaze at the goat boy with a challenging look.

"Your turn," he said promptly, dropping the wood into his lap. Asriel took a small breath and reached a shaking paw towards the still stack. His fuzzy fingertips lightly pushed a center block through to fall to the ground. The wooden block bounced on the carpeted floor and knocked the structure off balance, sending it crashing down as the two boys groaned.

"Dangit…" The prince sighed, stretching a bit, "What time is it?" Zach glanced at the digital clock next to his bed.

"Almost noon," he replied, "I'm hungry."

"Me too." Zach rolled to his feet and popped his neck.

"Sans should be back soon. In the meantime, wanna raid the kitchen and see if he'd hiding any sweets?" He asked with a mischievous smile. Asriel tilted his head.

"Won't we get in trouble though?" Zach laughed.

"Not if he doesn't find out!" He said, racing out the door. The prince was quick to follow, giggling with glee. They took the stairs two at a time, bumping and pushing each other until they reached the bottom where Zach leapt towards the kitchen, using Asriel to propel himself forward, a surprised bleat escaping the make-shift springboard. Just then, the armless child tripped and landed face-first into the carpet, groaning in pain as the goat boy trotted past.

"I win!" He gloated teasingly, turning to help the other monster to his feet. Zach scrunched his nose, wincing at the slight twinge that remained. Asriel looked at him worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah man, let's go check the cupboard first!" Zach scrambled towards the cabinet, nodding his head towards the goat, "Climb onto my shoulders! You should be able to reach it that way." Asriel blinked and complied, grabbing the counter for support as he clambered onto the other boy's shoulders, careful not to hurt him in the process. Once he was settled atop the yellow monster, stretched an arm up to open the cabinet, searching eyes landing on a glass jar filled with multi-colored candies.

"Eureka!" Asriel exclaimed, grabbing the jar. Zach cheered beneath him.

"and just what do you _gold diggers_ think you're doing?" The armless boy jumped in fright, the goat wobbling as the boy holding him up stepped back. The prince suddenly lost his footing and he fell with a sharp bleat. Snapping his eyes shut, he waited for a painful impact as he curled around the large glass jar to keep it from shattering. But the ground never came. Cracking an eye open, Asriel found himself suspeneded in air, peering at an unamused skeleton through the blue haze of his magic, Dr. Alphys gaping at the goat child from behind the bony monster.

"Wh-wha…h-how?" The lizard stammered looking back and forth between Sans and Asriel as the skeleton set the boy down. She stumbled back, looking dizzily at the once deceased child as all eyes (and eyesockets) turned to stare at her. Alphys laughed unsteadily for a moment, "H-he's back...you br-brought him back. That...that's h-hilarious…" She laughed a little more before she collapsed onto her back, appearing to have fainted. Sans sighed, shaking his head.

"you two," he said, pointing towards Zach and Asriel, "are grounded." The boys groaned. Ignoring their vocal complaints, Sans levitated Alphys's unconscious form onto the olive green couch and walked into the kitchen, teleporting the candy jar out of Asriel's paws to the cupboard where it belonged. He cracked his knuckles and sighed before he retrieved a large pot from the cabinet, setting it on to the magic powered stove. Forming a ball of energy in his hand, he glance at the two children out of the corner of his eye, "go wash up, lunch'll be ready in about fifteen or twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Hello again! I hope the puns weren't too annoying, 'cause I'm darned awful at making them. Like, I told my friend the other day that we should _carpal_ someday and we were talking about Papyrus so I just sorta went for it. I probably dropped six bone puns in a paragraph's worth of speech, and I laughed my ass off while doing it. She didn't talk to me for a week afterwards, mostly because she's now vacationing in Montana and I'm way over in Oregon...in my home...in my room...in the dark...by myself...**

 **I live an isolated way of life. Well, I would if I was allowed to.**

 **Agh! Sidetracked again! I even forgot what I was going to talk about...**

 **Responses!**

 **The Herobrine Hunter and DDoJ: Those names were great! I shall await your response (should there be one)!**

 **KaidaShi: Thanks again! I'm afraid I'm going to have to somewhat drop the idea I had for a certain character in the story to be able to see the restless spirits. I was thinking about Nabstablook being the perfect ghost for that role, but then that would take away from the story, not to mention veer its direction away from the story's climax and take...hm...maybe another couple chapters? It would also be difficult to write without an inspirational boost. However, allowing Sans to perhaps be able to pick up faint energy signals with his magic-enhanced senses is probably an idea that will stick. He won't be able to pick apart what or who those energy forms belong to, but he can tel that they're there, as it was hinted during the exchange between Sans and Undyne's spirit during the ceremony. And you're very welcome! I love having conversations with interesting, new people! (And why does my every response to you end up in monstrous paragraphs?)**

 **Teh Esprite: Thank you! Hm...Gaster... I feel the gears in my clock of a brain churning at the name. My only issue is that he isn't really part of the main game, as he is only accessible through hacking it. But! Should the thought sit well enough to stay in mind, I might sneak him in somewhere. Somewhere...when the _time_ is right. (heheheh...)**

 **nick543221: Thank you! I'll do my best to make this story look like I poured my soul into it! (Which I kinda did. :/)**

 **Anywho, see you in the next chapter!**

 **(After a little while though, I need to update my other story before the readers of that one murder me, cascrate my body, and hang my mutilated corpse on the ceiling... That sounded pretty brutal, I just scared myself there.)**


	8. Chapter 8

"So...how did you do it? Bring the prince back, I mean," Alphys asked almost timidly. Sans's eyelights flicked up from his book to stare at her. It was nearing dusk by the time Alphys had first stirred from the fabrics of sleep, and now they sat quietly together on the couch, conversing in hushed tones. She gazed at him serenely, her head resting against the back cushions, her claws clasped together in her lap as she expectantly waited for his explanation. Sans let out a soft breath, his mind whirring.

"it was a simple process, surprisingly enough. i took the boss soul remains from the late-queen's dust and some hair from asgore's fur brush. mixed it together with his tears and my magic and boom! i had an empty soul, one asriel could easily transfer into." The lizard did a double-take.

"Did you say 'tears'?"

"yep."

"Why?" Sans shrugged.

"i needed an element of emotion to complete the concoction, considering the fact that in his flower form, Asriel was nearly emotionless, and what's more emotional than a cup full of tears?" Alphys narrowed her gaze, suspicion clouding her soft hazel eyes.

"And what did you do to make him cry?" The skeleton's trademark grin became sheepish.

"i may have accidentally forged a letter using his wife's handwriting-"

"You did what!?"

"-it was a real _tear_ -jerker if ya ask me, but hey, it worked," he said, setting his book down as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. After a moment, he tacked on, "i mean, the cup i stuck beneath his face was full in five minutes and he didn't even notice." He laughed awkwardly when he saw Alphys's withering glare.

"I can't believe you, sometimes, you know that?" Her words came out in a breathy sigh, a wry smile tugging at her lips. Sans hummed in question and she shook her head. The quiet returned.

...

"When are you going to tell him?"

"hm?"

"Asgore," she clarified. Sans grimaced at the name, then shrugged.

"i don't know. whenever asriel wants to, i guess," he muttered, before he sighed, "though i wouldn't be surprised if the kid didn't wanna go back. y'know how the king is with children." After hearing those words, Alphys turned and gaped at him in shock. Noticing her gaze, he frowned at her, grunting a thoroughly confused, "what?"

"Sans!" She attempted to swat his arm, but he quickly moved out of the way, "Asgore's not going to murder his own child!" The skeleton raised his arms in a surrendering gesture, shoulders shaking in somewhat contained laughter.

"okay, i seriously didn't mean it like that," he said swiftly, his grin wobbly at the sight of Alphys's infuriated look, "but how do you think asgore'll react to finding his _son_ , who has been presumed _dead_ for _fifty years_ , on his doorstep?" Her expression softened and she bowed her head, bringing her knees up to her chest to rest her chin against them.

"He'd freak out big time."

"exactly," the skeleton agreed, "besides, i don't mind keeping an extra kid beneath my roof. azzie'll be just fine here."

"Still, though," the lizard murmured, a frown marring her brow as she peered up at Sans, "isn't it morally wrong to keep someone else's kid away from them?" He shrugged a shoulder, staring blankly at his book, his fingerbones mindlessly playing with a page he'd finished reading ages ago.

"it just depends on how you look at the situation," he said finally.

"Then what about this situation? Your situation?" His eyelights flicked over to meet her gaze, his gaze studying her as he contemplated her words. She let out a short breath through her nose. "I still can't believe we actually managed to bring Asriel back."

"welp, ya better believe it 'cause it's asriel as it gets." She snorted out muffled giggles as the skeleton chuckled next to her. As their laughter subsided, the room became quiet once more. Suddenly, Sans sighed and closed his book as he gave Alphys a questioning look. "what day is it?"

* * *

 _Like...a few days later and stuff…_

King Asgore shuffled around the flowerbed dominating the majority of his throne room, taking great care not to step on any of the delicate golden flowers as he watered them one by one, humming to himself as he went along is business. His day had been incredibly peaceful, free of paperwork along with any other kind of disturbance. His serene expression turned into a content smile as he made a mental note to thank Sans and Dr. Alphys for clearing out his schedule. It was sweet of them, really, to give him a full day of doing whatever he pleased.

He sighed, feeling a small twinge of guilt poke at the back of his mind. Those two were always so kind and thoughtful, doing small things, big things, any day and every day, all for him. It wasn't fair of him to weigh them down even more with his share of burdens for today. But he knew them and their ample amounts of stubbornness. They wouldn't let him work, even if their lives depended on it. Not today at least. Asgore sniffed, the thought fading away. What could he say? It _was_ his birthday after all. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts, eh?

He chuckled and continued to hydrate his flowers. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours as time flew by until he finally finished his watering. He sighed through his nose as he bent and set his watering can down, straightening with a wince as his back popped. He didn't understand why, but recently he'd been feeling much older, as if he'd been aging the past few days. He must not be getting enough sleep. Asgore turned a began toward the exit, abruptly pausing when something crinkled beneath his foot.

"Hm?" He mused as he inspected the limb, peering at the slick piece of soggy paper stuck to it. Peeling it off carefully, he read what it said.

 _12 snowdin drive_

 _grillby's family diner and bar_

 _see you there._

 _-sans_

Raucous laughter suddenly filled the throne room as the king read the incredibly informal letter. Still chuckling, Asgore shook his head as he began the short trek to his home. Perhaps Sans was in a hurry to write the invitation? Or not, Sans had always seemed to prefer to keep things short and simple, which was unsurprising when one considered who Sans was. Even so, the little skeleton was impossibly difficult to understand most times, despite his naturally simplistic nature. He sighed away the thought and checked his clock while he crossed into his home. His floppy ears twitched at the sight of the time, his eyes widening. Quickly, he went to his room and donned a casual outfit before hurrying to the River.

As he expected, the River Person was just about to leave for its next station, the magic cat-boat already beginning to rise out of the water. The hooded figure seemed to take no notice to the king as he drew closer, but laid a small black hand on the cat's head and rubbed it gently as Asgore clambered into the boat heaving a sigh of relief.

"To Snowdin, please," the king said once he was seated comfortably. The River Person ceased its petting and the boat immediately dashed at a breakneck speed across the top of the water towards its destination.

" _Tra la la, tri li li, tre le le~,_ " it sang softly in its ancient whispy voice as the separate lands of the Underground sped by, the wind ripping at the their clothes as the boat keeper's song was lost to the surging air whipping around them. They reached Snowdin in a matter of seconds, Asgore immediately stumbling out onto the fluffy snow the moment he had the chance. "Come ride again sometime, _tra la la~_ ," the River Person sang. The king raised a large paw weakly in thanks before the cat-boat and its keeper sped off again, spraying mist onto the goat. Asgore gave small cough while he stood and dried himself with a short burst of his fire magic. He turned and began to march through the winter wonderland Sans the skeleton called home.

* * *

Asriel sat in apprehension as he watched the majority of the monsters in the Underground bustled around the diner in preparation of the "big unveiling" happening just moments from now. The prince gulped, wondering how badly the whole thing could end up. Asriel frowned and looked down at the ground, his thoughts whirring. Zach sat next to him, snoring peacefully against the bar, drool beginning to pool around the opening of his mouth. The armless child snorted suddenly, making Asriel jump and grimace at the sight. The goat boy sighed.

"hey, why the long face?" Again, the prince flinched at the sudden break in his train of thought before glanced up to see a familiar grin. Asriel tried for a smile, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"It's nothing really. I'm just…I'm just worried about how my dad will react," the goat explained as he rubbed the back of his head. The skeleton chuckled softly.

"aren't we all?" He muttered, taking the towel from around the counter. Asriel watched as Sans lifted Zach's head and put the cloth over the small pond of saliva before he patted the sleeping monster's head affectionately. He turned and rested his elbows against the bar, gazing at the prince from the corner of his eyesocket. "don't get too worked up about it kid. i'm sure it'll all turn out okay," he said with a sigh, adding beneath his breath, " _at least i_ hope _so._ " Asriel hummed in thought.

"H-hey guys!" Another familiar voice chimed in and the two of them looked up to see Alphys wearing a sparkly black and white polka-dotted dress, smiling awkwardly as she nervously trotted over, "You excited? 'Cause I'm terrified." Sans laughed.

"oh c'mon alphys, what's the worst thing that could happen? it's _asgore_ we're dealing with here."

"You _really_ shouldn't say things like that Sans. Life loves proving people wrong." Alphys shook her head, an involuntary smile coming to her lips. The skeleton gave a carefree shrug.

"welp, good thing i didn't _dress for success_ , eh?" Alphys raised a brow, crossing her arms. Sans sensed the lizard's sass levels rising to terrifying heights.

"Is that a quip at my dress?"

"nah, in fact, you look very nice in that," he said, his smile becoming more genuine. A bright red splash bloomed across the scientist's face at the compliment. Boom. Headshot.

"U-uh...I...uh…" Maybe a bit of an overkill. "th-thank y-y-"

"ALPHYS!" The yellow lizard jumped at the sound of her name and looked back to see two girls frantically waving their arms at her. It almost looked as if they were spasming whilst standing up. Alphys turned a shade darker and quietly excused herself. Raising a brow at the retreating lizard, Asriel glanced towards the equally confused skeleton at his side.

"What's up with her?"

The older monster only shrugged.

"The king is approaching! Everyone get into your places!" Asriel looked up, nervousness making his sweat cold as his began to bead on his skin. A green fire elemental began to usher other monsters around, skittering around the bar expertly as Grillby flicked off the lights, plunging the room into darkness, save for the warm glow of the fire monsters' flames. The two of them then hid behind the fire exit as everyone else patiently waited for the doors to creak open. When they did, a deep voice immidiately followed.

"Sans? Sans, are you there?" Asriel's body fell frozen as waves of memories crashed into his mind. The weight of his situation seemed to press in on him as he realized that finally, he'd be able to make up all the years, the decades he'd spent parading around as a unfeeling flower. He'd finally take back the compassion he'd lost, take back the son his father had outlived, take back all the moments and memories that should have been made. He felt numb as he rose into a standing position, a warm wetness beginning to trickle down his furry cheeks.

"Dad!" The lights were flicked back on and every monster present in that room watched as the long-lost prince embraced the father he'd left behind. The king was shell-shocked into speechlessness. Fraction by fraction, he knelt, wrapping his large arms around his son as his body began to shake involuntarily. Tears matted the fur beneath their eyes as their quiet sobs filled the near dead silent room.

" _A-asriel_ …? Are you really…? How…? What…?"

"They brought me back," the prince whispered in a quavering voice. He buried his head in his father's stomach.

"I missed you, Dad."

* * *

 **Okay! Now that that part's finished up, I can finally move on through the rest of the rising action, yay. It's been a decent ride already, I'm totally fine with polishing it off with another...hm...five or seven chapters?**

 ***meh.**

 **Responses!**

 **Okamilover1: I'm glad you like the story! As much as I want to screech at you to play the Genocide Route, I totally understand why you don't. I almost regretted playing it because it _destroyed_ me. I was such a mess after killing all the monsters I'd come to love so much, especially Sans. But, if you want to take the more lighthearted Pacifist road, I won't judge you for it, but let me tell you this: I cried more playing this game than watching Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, and that anime was _sad_. I must have shed tears at least once every episode. *deep breath* I always thought that Sans would be a great parent, especially since he cared so much about his little brother. The main reason he's particularly great in the story is because he stopped not caring. He stopped giving up. He's pushing through the struggles of the hell the Underground suffered and doing his darnedest (in his own lazy little way) to spread hope and happiness throughout the kingdom again. But he's not the only one, as Alphys, Asgore, as well as many other monsters are doing the same, along the newest addition of Asriel. *deeper breath* Yes, everyone can see Napstablook, but not the dead spirits. The spirits have no physical components, while Nabstablook does, albeit very little which is why you _can_ see him. Although, Nabstablook appears to be able to disappear. Whether or not invisibility is a power that all ghosts share or Nabstablook is actually passing through the realm of the undead to maybe, I don't know, traverse through the Underground without any kind of social interaction as he is not powerful enough to sense the dead monsters, remains unknown. Nabstablook is a monster, as is Mettaton. And Mettaton has a soul, therefore proving the ghosts are indeed a type of monster and are not actually dead. Also, sorry about the massive reply. You probably won't even read all of it. Which is totally fine, don't strain your eyes on the immensity of my rambling.**

 **KaidaShi: Thank you! No, Sans is not going to adopt Asriel (unfortunately). Not when Asgore's still alive and still very capable (or at least kind of capable) of taking care of his own son. And I'll look into SharaX!**

 **The Herobrine Hunter and DDoJ: I should be thanking you! Those names are spectacular! Actually, I'm going to do that right now. Thank you!**

 **nick543221: As much as I wish to agree with you, I'm afraid I have to say that Sans (as awesome as he is) cannot bring back the undead. Or at least, in the game he doesn't. That part of the story I wrote because, well, Sans is a pretty smart guy right? At the end of the Pacifist Route, if you bother Sans and Alphys enough, Alphys will slip up after Sans makes a joke she had heard before from him. Papyrus will then state that he didn't know Alphys even knew Sans, where Sans interjects by saying, "doesn't everybody?" in response to Papyrus's surprise. Anyway, Sans took the remains of Toriel's shattered soul to act as a base or a home to store the portion of Asriel's personality kept alive in his flower form, which was the most important part of a monster, their will, or "determination," to live. With the base, the determination, and the emotion Sans had collected from Asgore, he used his own magic to fuse them together to recreate the soul Asriel had lost upon death. Gosh darn, I just keep talking don't I?**

 **reader: Thank you! I am so happy to hear that! Well, see that, but you know what I mean! Y'know, the second I read the second half of your review, I exited the window and went straight to the Undertale Wiki, where I absorbed the contents of the pages concerning W.D. Gaster. IT WAS WORTH IT.**


	9. Chapter 9

Toriel covered her muzzle to muffle the tearful gasps that tried to escape her, her vision somewhat blurred as she watched her husband and child embrace. The other mortal monsters slowly creeped out of their hiding places to stand to the side awkwardly as her family gave a few more sniffles and rose from their crouched positions on the ground to see the rest of the Underground smiling at them. Asriel laughed, rubbing his eye as an embarrassed smile curled his lips. He looked back up at his father before he ran and grabbed Sans and Alphys, tugging them forward.

"They brought me back," the prince repeated, his eyes gleaming with happiness, "I wouldn't be here without them." Alphys laughed awkwardly.

"W-well, S-sans did a-all the work. I-I mean-"

"she means that she's the real main reason asriel's here." The scientist made a strange noise and began to shake her head rapidly.

"N-n-no! I-" She was cut off abruptly as the three of them were lifted into the air in a crushing hug, strangled sounds escaping them as the king's booming laughter resonated around the bar. The monsters surrounding them chuckled too at trio's plight. Alphys's face turned a cherry red as she was squished against both the skeleton and the king while Sans struggled to breathe, his face forcefully mashed into the large boss monster's chest, his bony appendages tugging feebly at the tough meaty arm wound around him.

"Dad, you're suffocating us here," Asriel coughed out with a smile, his voice strained. Asgore laughed, muttering a quiet apology while he set them down, only to hoist Asriel onto his shoulder and tearfully gaze at the smaller monsters still recovering from his affections. The queen's ghostly apparition drifted closer, her throat feeling as if it were closing as the faded form of her hand passed through the head of her son. She turned her gaze next to the monsters that had returned Asriel to the realm of the living, a fond look flitting onto her face.

"Thank you, for all that you have done for me." She had spoken the words as they escaped her husband's lips, their mouths moving in unison. Asgore's eyes crinkled up and Sans's eyelights shrank in horror into pinpricks of light when he realized what was bound to happen next. Alphys gave them both a strange look.

"as _mash_ as i enjoy hugs your highness, you're gonna have ta ex- _squeeze_ -"

Asgore got to him before he could have a chance to react and, again, both the scientist and the skeleton found themselves six feet above ground being slowly crushed to pieces by their lovable king as the prince gave sharp laughing bleats.

"Let the festivities begin!" The larger goat exclaimed as the rest of the Underground cheered, the only exception being the wheezing duo encased in an almost life-threatening embrace. Toriel sighed, finding herself unable to reflect the joyful sounds of the mortal half of her home.

" _It sucks doesn't it?_ " The goat started at the sound of a defeated voice, quickly whirling around to find the Captain of the Royal Guard floating behind her. " _Being here. Being dead._ " The warrior's gaze was locked onto the struggling forms of the Royal Scientist and the Royal Judge, jealousy and longing burning hot in her eye as faint remnants of magic sparked in the empty socket on the left side of her face.

" _I-I beg your pardon?_ " The queen stuttered, flinching back from the scathing look the fish flung at her response. Undyne released an irritable snort, her arms crossing as she turned her glare back to the jovial monsters as Sans and Alphys were again set back down.

" _They look so happy,_ " she spat harshly, " _don't they?_ " Toriel frowned, anger beginning to bubble behind her scarlet eyes.

" _Well, yes, they do. Is there something wrong with such?_ " The captain gave a cold barking laugh.

" _Oh no!_ " She exclaimed mockingly, " _they're happy! They're celebrating! It's just so great how they all just seem to have forgotten everyone who'd DIED!_ " Toriel was taken aback by the stinging words and was about to make a heated retort when an abrupt peal of laughter suddenly pierced the air, grabbing the spirits' attentions. The Royal Scientist was clutching her stomach as she fell to the floor in giggling fits while Sans hovered over her, bony hands clutching her forearm while he struggled to keep his own laughter in check. The bright flare of pain in the warrior's eye did not go unnoticed by the mothering goat as her rage cooled, understanding and calm relaxing her expression.

" _Are you telling me that they do not deserve happiness? After all they have been through, it is not your place to be jealous of-_ "

" _I'M NOT JEALOUS!_ " Toriel's floppy ears flattened at the deafening shout, but the calm did not recede from her face.

" _I understand how you must feel, Undyne. You wish to be with her, as I wish to be with my family again. Yet we cannot, for they live on without us,_ " she murmured forlornly, her gaze falling to the floor as a frown again marred her brow, " _All we can do now is watch over them, and pray for their happiness and that we will not go unremembered._ " Undyne grit her teeth, folding her arms as she turned her glare away from the queen. She didn't care if the goat was royalty, they were dead therefore titles held no importance anymore. But regret for her action came swiftly the moment the warrior saw the gaze of her mortal love, a dreamy mist over the lively hazel of her eyes as they rested on the skeleton's amused grin. She turned back to the queen, swallowing the bile that had risen at the sight.

" _Do you love her, Undyne? You want her to be happy, do you not?_ " She felt a sting behind her nose and her vision began to blur.

" _Yes...I want her to be happy._ " Her voice was a shuddering whisper through her clenched teeth, a weak little sound she hated with every fiber of her existence, as minuscule as it may be.

" _Then watch over them and protect them and let them be happy. God knows they all deserve happiness._ " The silence at followed seemed resonate throughout the entirety of the Underworld, a noiseless cloud that deafened the jovial atmosphere.

" _...I will._ "

Neither of them noticed the dark empty gaze that peered at their faint forms, hidden by the embrace of a little yellow lizard.

* * *

 _Many hours later._

Alphys sat leaning against her desk, idly scrolling through the contents of the fan fiction posting site. She'd finished her portion of the day's paperwork, most of which were reports about the Core's maintenance. Thankfully, the problems brought up, were incredibly minor and were already on the lizard's overflowing bucket list of things to get done. She sniffed, a scowl marring her brow when her eyes caught sight of a ship she disliked before she skipped over it with a disgusted scoff.

Without Core workers to help her out, Alphys had been struggling to repair the damage the genocidal human had done upon waltzing through a year ago. Apparently, they thoroughly enjoyed smashing every button they saw, breaking the traps, and somehow slicing open heavily protected electrical wires, all of which increasing the duration of Alphys's stay in the boiling hot hell hole. Without reliable air-conditioning. Thankfully, she'd finished repairs relatively quickly and had headed onto working out kinks that hadn't been looked at since her predecessor met his unfortunate end. As of now, the Core droned on as smoothly as a well-oiled machine, perhaps even better, generating enough power to sustain the Underground for centuries to come, and Alphys couldn't have been more happy about her accomplishment.

For the first time in a while, she felt she had done something great. But now it was time to move on.

She sighed, closing the browser with a click of her mouse only to go through her private documents to pull up a picture of a half finished blueprint she'd found in the True Lab's old files. The real blueprint had been too old and faded to do much except take a picture and make an attempt to salavage it. Her eyes scanned the screen, dancing for a moment on the faded title.

 **PROJECT #146: Artificial Soul ( _Human_ )**

Six circular points were stationed around a large heart-shaped center, small lines of garbled text ineligibly scrawled around the dominating drawing. From what she could tell, it was written in Wing Dings, a terrible habit of the late Royal Scientist's, as he and Sans were the only ones who could understand the foreign combinations of pictures and gestures. Grunting in displeasure, she made a note to herself to drag Sans over to translate. Was he going free sometime tomorrow? Probably. He's always had a flexible schedule, so he should be able to work something out. She paused in the action, stopping to think for a moment as her pen remained poised over her notepad.

"An artificial soul…" She murmured to herself, squinting at the screen, "Sans is gonna _flip his **shit**._ "

* * *

"Sans, something has been going weird with my magic." The skeleton glanced at the young prince out of the corner of his left eye, before turning back to the spaghetti he had been making for the kids' dinner. Asgore had asked him if Asriel could stay over for a while, as he had work to finish up and he didn't want to leave Asriel home alone. The prince had been all too happy to stay, and Sans couldn't blame him. As many things Asgore was, a cook was most certainly not one of them.

"would you care to elaborate on that subject?" Asriel gnawed on the inside of his cheek, reaching a paw back to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck.

"I can't…I can't do what I could before. L-like…I can't summon fire as well as I used to," the prince explained meekly. Sans frowned, his hands busily stirring and adding spices as his mind churned in various directions at once.

"your soul isn't complete, asriel. it's not a 'true' soul."

"Why?" Sans hummed in thought.

"to create a true monster soul, two monsters would need to combine special forms of magic created from their love for their significant other. what most monsters don't know is that in that process of creation, they are giving up a portion of their own souls to make the new one. i wasn't able to recreate your soul with both your mother and your father's soul shards. so, i had to improvise by collecting several different physical items from your father, as well as add in my own magic to bond in all together. when ya add it up together, you've only got half the place you can store and channel your magic in. your mom's soul shards," he said as he tapped the stirring spoon against the rim of the pot to remove the sauce that still clung to it, before he set it aside to place a glass lid over the container. He fell silent, lost in his own thoughts until the kid coughed to regain his attention.

"So, you're saying that without my dad's and my mom's souls, I can't perform magic very well?" The skeleton shrugged a shoulder, "but didn't you say you used your own magic too?"

"well. yeah."

"So wouldn't a part of my mom, my dad, and _you_ be inside my soul?" Sans raised a non-existent brow.

"that...could be possible...i guess?" Asriel humphed and gazed towards the ground. A short silence passed before the prince clucked his tongue and spoke again.

"Well, that explains why my breakfast was levitating this morning."

" _what_ -" Sans's phone buzzed in his pocket and the skeleton sighed and dug it out, flipping it open to answer the call, eyeing the sheepish goat with a glowing blue eye, "hello?" Asriel leaned forward, ears twitching as he strained to make out the words of the caller.

" _Sans...need...True Lab...come...found something...know…_ "

"'kay, i'll be there soon. gotta get the kids food first." He shut the phone with a flick of his wrist, raising his other hand to poke the prince's muzzle as a pen and paper raced to the table, "we'll chirp about this later. for now, no magic and i'd better not hear a _peep_ 'bout it outta you 'til _i_ bring it up. an' the both of you buggers better be in bed _before_ ten, no exceptions, capiche?"

"Yes sir."

"atta boy, now lug zach down here and set the table for three. i dunno if your pops is gonna drop by any time soon, but just in case 'cause he might be hungry. And damn can that guy _**eat**_."

* * *

 _Well…_ To say her prediction was accurate would be mostly true, even if the outcome was entirely different than what she expected. In other words, to be spun around in dizzyingly happy circles by a skeleton who, at the moment, was acting very un-"Sans"-like, was something she never would have expected. His brother must certainly have rubbed off on him, even if this overjoyed state had appeared over a year after the younger skeleton's "fall". Such was the only reason she could come up with as she gracelessly stumbled into a warm embrace, her mind groaning at the action while her body instinctively returned the gesture. How many times has she been hugged today? She couldn't remember.

His words came quick and chipper, in great contrast to the natural softness of his tone she'd grown accustomed to hearing, her mind slow to register the onslaught of apparent excitement that streamed from the other monster. One word was all it took before Alphys finally managed to wrap her head around what in the world her friend had been chittering about. At the same time, Sans halted his show of enthusiasm to give the yellow lizard a studious look of worry. Her movements were sluggish and clearly involuntary, a far away gleam in her eyes which abruptly flashed away the moment he gained her attention.

"Freedom," she muttered, blinking hard. Sans sweatdropped and sighed through his grin.

"yep. your spring cleaning saved the underground alphie."

"What?"

"nothin', now where're the blueprints?" Alphys gave thoughtful hm's as she trotted over to her computer to pull up the photo. She sat in her seat as he leaned over her head, planting his hands on her chair as his eyesockets squinted at the screen. After a moment, she asked what the symbols meant, to which he dutifully replied, slowly so as she could promptly record it into her composition book. Upon her finishing, Sans popped his knuckles (somehow) and dragged the lizard scientist off to the True Lab, the frown that came over his features becoming lost in the shadows of the hallway.

His eyesockets darkened as a sudden chill swept over his spine.

* * *

Transparent hands ghosted over rows upon rows of data, stopping for a moment to linger on a shuddering group of megabytes of character data. The hands drifted closer to inspect it carefully, one of the pair curling itself into a fist of energy in preparation for an execution whilst the other contented itself to reading the delicate coding. Abruptly the first hand ceased its movements as two solid white hands brushed it away, only to join the other in inspection. Its crooked smile widened.

 _Ah…yes, of course it is him._

 _Who else was gifted enough to see past the lies of this little game?_

One solid hand curled itself around a handful of zeros from the character data, its thumb changing the numbers as they gently brushed over the delicate data.

 _He'd always wished for answers...perhaps now is the time he finally received them…?_

…

 _What do you think?_

* * *

 **Okay, I was gonna update two weeks ago, but I got grounded by my dad because I didn't do something. Which I forgot... Also, school starts in a few days and I've already been prep'ing for highschool volleyball and I _really_ want to be on varsity! I'm also taking classes way above my grade level and that's gonna _really_ suck. So yeah, workin' hard to balance it out. Anyway! I hope that you guys don't hate me too much! And, uh, R &R and feel free tell me what you think about the story so far, give advice, or throw in some ideas for me to chew on! All is _munch_ appreciated!**

 **Responses!**

 **[KaidaShi: Woah! Are those split personalities or different people speaking? Not actually sure seems more believable. So, uh...**

 **Kaida: Yesh, I tried to make it sad...but everytime I look back at it I scrunch up a bit inside because I know there's a way to make it more sad but I'm not good at writing sad stuff so... *sad face***

 **Shi: Yeah...I find it funny how I saw this _after_ I had written that part. So cookies and milk for you, 'cause you got it! Woo!**

 **Whoever "Me" is because I don't know what to put instead: As much as I want Sans and Papyrus to reunite, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to keep them apart, no matter how much it tears me up inside. *sniff* I'M SORRY PAPY! I also really like that theory and have created my own using parts of that and parts of other theories as well, but that's an explanation for another time, or another story, whichever comes first.**

 **Kaida: In the timeskip parts, let just pretend that's what they're doing. I mean, what else can they do? They're dead.**

 **Shi: Yeah...I know...**

 **"Me": Yay! Updating! Which almost never happens at reasonable times because I'm a terrible person!]**

 **Lovesbugsalot: Those words alone are a compliment in itself. Here's a virtual hug! And virtual bug! Because I _love_ your name!**

 **Fern of the Clouds: FEEL DEM FEELZ! And thank you so much! I tried really hard to tone it down and give it some more realism, but with Undertale, there's not a lot an amateur can do. I'm sure you could spot the few parts where it gets iffy and out of it, but I hope they still at least somewhat fit into the story as a whole. Unless I'm being overly critical and those parts are unnoticeable by many except me. But I'm not reading the story for the story, I'm reading it for the mistakes and things I could or should've changed. Thanks again! And I'm glad to hear that!**

 **KaidaShi (lol, again): Okay, I'm gonna make this easier for me so... Thanks Kaida! I try to update as often as I can, but with my schedule, it's hard to fit in time to sit down a write. But! I'll continue in my efforts to the best of my ability! Kaida is not being rude at all, Shi. Or maybe she/he/it/idonteffingknow is and I'm too happy-go-lucky to even bother noticing. Interesting notion I must say! I shall definitely digest it for later thoughts!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yeah, okay, lame update, long wait time, blah, blah, blah. But being honest, this chapter was hell to write. I got stumped literally after every paragraph. Mostly because I kept forgetting how I wanted the story to transition into the ending chapters. After all my internal screaming, constant editing, deleting, retyping, rephrasing, et cetera, this was the result. Anyway, school started three weeks ago, and classes are decent so far! I forgot my homework at school today though... Crap.**

* * *

Alphys's claws shook slightly as they gently poked a needle into the firm surface of the purple human soul, drawing out its patient energy to fill the syringe. Sans put a gentle hand on her shoulder, his phalanges lightly digging into the softness of her flesh when she flinched.

"it's alright, alph. it's just me." Alphys swallowed, ignoring the dryness of her throat as she made a small sound of acknowledgement. Sans gave her a worried look as she handed him the now purple syringe. Immediately, the lizard turned to return the soul to its chamber and to dutifully fill another syringe with the essence of different soul. The skeleton sighed and wandered to the his own work station, taking great care to inject the contents of the syringe into one of the seven knobs in the frame of the artificial soul they had constructed hours ago. With a frown, he lifted a hand to press it against the side of his skull where an almost foreign ache throbbed.

Headaches were almost nonexistent for skeletons, for their skulls were empty and lacking in all things that tricked the mind into feeling aches and pains. But the migraine that plagued him now was starting to get impossibly annoying. He set the frame down, blinking away a sudden blurriness in his vision as his other hand tugged at the collar of his sweater. He coughed, gritting his teeth as pain flashed into agony, his knees beginning to buckle. A thump behind her almost made Alphys drop the syringe filled with the orange power of courage, a scream nearly escaping her throat when she whirled around to see the unmoving form of her friend in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Sans!?" The syringe was forgotten on the table, the soul was hurriedly ushered into its chamber, and the skeleton was dragged to Alphys's bed, the only decently comfortable place in her entire home, where she left him in a flurry of swears to frantically search for her medical kit. Sweat and fear made her movements awkward and jerky as she thrust open every cupboard, every drawer, and every cabinet in sight, only to be met with cluttered piles of absolutely nothing useful. Her breath came short and quick, a dizzying lightheadedness frequently knocking her vision out of focus as she practically sprinted around her lab in a worried frenzy. Her foot caught on the wheels of her rolly chair and she tumbled forward, giving a pained grunt as she plopped onto the ground. Groaning, she glared at the offending object over her shoulder before her jaw went slack upon spotting the med kit sitting peacefully beneath her desk. Too busy to berate herself for not looking there sooner, she snatched it up in her claws and sped up her escalator, taking the moving staircase two steps at a time and nearly tripping on the last step.

Sans remained nearly exactly as she had left him, the only difference being the soft blue flush over his cheekbones and the fact that he was noticeably shivering. Alphys grimaced at the change as she inhaled large breaths of air, looking down to sift through the various supplies residing within the kit until she tugged out both a thermometer and a soul monitor, a device she had modeled after a human heart monitor she found in the garbage dump. The lizard shuffled closer, tentatively placing a trembling claw against the smooth surface of the skeleton's forehead, wincing at the heat that radiated from him. Giving a shaky sigh, she put the thermometer in his mouth and quickly went to retrieve an ice pouch from her freezer, placing it on his skull upon returning.

"Damn it, Sans," she muttered, starting to fuss with the controls of the soul monitor, pressing buttons and flicking switches whilst trying to recall their purposes. Once the device a flashed a green light and gave a cute "beep!", Alphys's face began to pinken with a sudden realization dawned on her. On any other monster, she would have no problem attaching her machine to them. But this was Sans. Sans was a skeleton. He didn't have flesh like every other monster, so she would have to...have to…

Attach the machine directly to his...

The scientist gulped and set the device down to dry her perspirating palms on her labcoat, an uncomfortable whine escaping her throat as she then hid her burning face behind her hands.

"C'mon Alphys. It's just Sans, and he needs your help. You've gotta do this," she sighed to herself, dropping her arms to her sides ungracefully. Inhaling deeply, she felt around for the hem of Sans's sweater, closing her eyes as the hand she had grasped the soul monitor with becoming weak with her nervousness. Her teeth dug into her lower lip as her hand dipped into the emptiness that was hidden behind the layer of clothing, her face scrunching up when the tips of her fingers brushed against the warm ridges of the skeleton's spinal cord. An embarrassed whimper slipped into the air as she felt her way towards his soul cavity, the color of her face gradually deepening into more of a scarlet.

"This is _so wrong_ -" Her hand bumped into something warm, oddly solid, and…heart-shaped? _Halle-fucking-lujah_. Alphys gently curled her hand around the solid warmth, cracking open an eye to activate the soul monitor with her hand. Immediately, the sharp rush of static filled the air, the strange language from the blueprints running across the screen. Alphys paled.

"W-w-what th-the?" The machine grew unbearably hot in her hand, forcing her to instinctively drop the device in fear of being burned, loud static sounds filling the room with noise. It clattered to the floor as garbled nonsense began to flow through its speakers, the metal turning red from heat. The items that furnished her room began to shudder and shake for all as if an earthquake were occurring, an odd purple veil of light shrouding their surroundings as the lizard screamed and cowered against the bed in terror, releasing her hold on Sans's soul as she quickly maneuvered her body protectively between him and the apparently bewitched monitor. She twined her fingers with his, gripping his hand bones firmly as she desperately tried to draw courage from his presence.

"… **memory** …" She froze at the voice, her other hand curling into the thin blankets of her bed as her teeth clenched in disbelief and terror. Her eyes bounced around the room, from her shuddering furniture to the machine currently burning a hole into her floor to the skeleton who had yet to stir.

"D-d-Doctor… _Gaster_?" A raspy cough filled room, rough from disuse and Alphys pressed herself further into the side of her bed, her teeth gritting noiselessly.

"... **Lost** …" Alphys gulped, her breathing coming in erratic pants. Black ooze began to pool around her machine, its surface shiny and lumped as it grew larger and larger, the thick liquid already threatening to lick the tips of her clawed toes. The goopy puddle shuddered and began to rise, large heavy paws of dripping goo lifting towards her from the gelatinous mass of its formless body.

" ** _Void_**."

Sans's hand twitched in her own as she looked back, the spark of hope the ignited within her soul sizzling into nothingness as the skeleton rose, a manic grin stretching across his skull whilst his jagged purple gaze cut into her. In one strong, swift movement, Sans snatched the front of her lab coat and shoved her backwards, causing her to trip over her own feet and fall to the ground, her head knocking against the floor painfully. Bright purple eyes taunted and danced before her eyes before a black wave dragged her down to unconsciousness.

" **ALPHYS**."

* * *

Alphys groaned as she sat up, blinking hard, stray tears dribbling away to help clear her sight. Her head felt muddled and terribly pained, as if she had slammed it into a wall five minutes ago. Her eyes struggled to focus, but the blurred colors and odd shapes remained in her vision, framed by an ominous cloud darkness. Shoot, my glasses.

The distorted forms of her yellow claws skated across the ground, her vision focusing and unfocusing as she squinted and scrunched her eyelids to get a better sense of what she was looking at. Her palm ghosted against something metallic, thin, and cool, her fingers curling around the object in hopes of it being the item she was searching for. The familiar curves and ridges of her spectacles brought relief to her in a great surge, her hands fumbling to return them to the bridge of her snout where they belonged. The black pressed closer, casting shadows around the once vibrantly colored room.

" _al...ph-phys_?" The scientist flinched at the cracked sound of her name, her eyes wide as she surveyed the damage her home sustained, a scream lodged in her throat. Alphys turned, slowly, and her soul ceased it pulsating for what felt like an eternity as from the ruins of her bed stumbled the bleeding form of Sans the skeleton. The shiny redness oozed freely from the cracks in his skull, red blotches expanding on various places of his clothing. His everlasting smile was strained to the point of looking almost like a grimace. It was the most pain Alphys had ever seen him outwardly express.

Somehow, in a matter of seconds, she went from laying sprawled on the ground to curled around the collapsed form of her friend, her hand cupping his cheekbone while her opposite arm cradled his head. The red liquid had already soaked through her lab coat, coloring the leathery yellow skin beneath the hue of his physical essence. Her energy-less tears mingled with the magical streams of blue rivulets gently streaming from the corners of his eyesockets.

She said nothing. He said nothing else. And the darkness embraced them both.

* * *

" _You are insane, Doctor._ "

" **I find it humorous to hear you say that. For the last I checked, I wasn't the only one.** "

She stood in silence, assessing the glitching shell of a once brilliant creature. Her eyes seemed to bore scorching holes into his soft, gelatinous figure, making the remnants of his data shudder with discomfort. She smiled crookedly at the involuntary movement, her soft features lighting up with an innocent, almost childlike amusement. Her gaze trailed away from him to the image he had conjured, her fingers twitching with some restrained urge.

" _It is cruel of you to give them this nightmare. Do you know that?_ "

" **Gaining awareness over ever-shifting timelines can induce so copious amounts of pain. I, of all monsters, should know.** " The girl's sugary laughter sent chills through him.

" _Your reasoning leaves much to imagination, sir._ " Dr. Gaster gulped, maneuvering his body to face her as she followed up with saying, " _Some could be led to believe you enjoy seeing them writhe in agony._ " Another saccharine giggle. The doctor clenched his fists within the folds of his physical form, the nightmare he had created shuddering with his anger.

Within the dream, Alphys let out a crushed sob, the sound of the purest anguish which resonated throughout the void. Guilt hit the remnants of the doctor's soul in ways the brought a stinging to his left eye, causing him to turn away from the other worldly creature taunting him. Silence lapsed between the two void-walkers, tension weighing down on them like the ocean on the seafloor.

" _There are many ways you can solve your little problem. You need only to look at where it begins._ " The scientist solidified his body, listening with intent despite his discomfort with the girl. A sudden warmth appeared at his side, scaring him into his liquid form. The black ooze pooled around her tiny white feet, but the blank emptiness of her pupiless eyes remained. Gaster shifted away, drawing his essence into a solid structure once again.

He watched in fear and awe as the little white creature reached out her tiny arms and grasped a handful of data, bringing it close to her to read its contents carefully. Two hands, their appearances mocking his own, were summoned with a soft pop of her mouth. They floated gracefully down to join her, the massive magical creations dwarfing her own small hands. He gasped as she crushed one of the strands from existence.

" **What are you doing!?** " Her laughter became cold and dark.

" _Good day, Wind Dings._ " And with that, she was gone.

...

 **You felt your sins crawling on your back…**

* * *

 **Okay... It's, uh, been awhile.**

 **Responses!**

 **KaidaShi: Oh, ok! Lol, I remember doing the same thing way back when I was REALLY crazy. Had five people running around my head. But now it's just me. My lead persona must have subconsciously killed them off, or merged with them. Either is possible.**

 **Okamilover1: KILL THEM ALL. JOIN US WHO HAVE FORSAKEN THE WORLD. Just kidding. Don't. It will hurt your heart. Aw...I didn't mean to make anyone tear up! Now I feel bad... Even so it warms my heart to know that someone can be affected that way. Bless your heart. Thank you! I did purposely leave Paps out of that conversation, but he was still at the party, probably learning how to smile upon seeing how well Sans is moving on. I just felt that Undyne and Toriel don't really get know each other, and tossing out ropes of friendship between the both of them could help them cope with their shared sorrows.**

 **I guest as much: OMG I love you guys with the super fun names! It's just so awesome! And I'm glad to read that!**

 **Monkey999Boy: I CAN DREAM HAROLD. I'm actually not sure how to reply to that. :P**


End file.
